The purpose of this safety notice is to alert officers of measures imposed by Ministry of Manpower (MOM) of Singapore after a record of fatalities recorded at 36 cases as of 1 September 2022. This is very close to the 37 fatalities in the whole of Singapore recorded in 2021.

MOM have implemented a six-month “Heighten Safety” period from 1 September 2022 to 28 February 2022:

1. If MOM finds serious WSH lapses such as unsafe workplace conditions or poor risk controls following serious or fatal workplace accidents, MOM will take necessary actions against offenders.
2. Conduct a mandatory Safety Time-out (STO) by allocating time to review their safety procedures and complete the Safety Time-out activities. The length of STO should be sufficiently long to review risks corresponding to the scale of operations.

The above also applies all companies in the marine sectors.

Common incidents occurred on Singapore-registered ships

Incidents which commonly occur onboard Singapore-registered ships include injuries resulting from slips, trips, and falls. They can cause:

• Minor injuries such as sprains and strains.
• Broken bones due to the impact when trying to break the fall.
• Back injuries due to the impact from the fall.
• Cuts if the incident occurs near sharp objects.
• Head injuries if the crew hits the head upon impact.
• Burns if the incident occurs near hot surfaces, or if the crew is handling hot fluids.
• Death in more serious cases. For example, a crew may slip and fall off an open side of a platform or deck if there are openings with are not properly barricaded.

RECOMMENDATIONS

All officers and crew are reminded to stay vigilant and alert to dangers around their environment and put in place measures as recommended below to prevent slips, trips, and falls incident onboard. They should also be encouraged to call for a safety time-out or stop work whenever an unsafe action or situation is observed. Work should only resume after the hazards are removed or risk control measures are put in place.

Hazards	Risk control measures
Slippery floor (e.g. entrance of toilet)	Place anti-slip mats or install non-slip flooring.
Contaminated floor (e.g. wet or oily floors due to spills)	Clean up the contamination or spills immediately. Place warning signs to warn of slippery surfaces (e.g. floors that have just been mopped).
Unstable walking surfaces (e.g. loose floor tiles)	Repair or replace damaged floor/tiles. Ensure periodic inspection of floors for damages and/or irregularities.
Inadequate footwear (e.g. worn-out shoes)	Wear covered shoes with proper soles (e.g. non-slip work shoes).
Obstacles within a walkway (e.g. boxes, protruding objects, wires)	Keep walkways and access ways free of obstacles.
Changes in floor elevation (e.g. steps, kerbs)	Mark kerbs and steps in bright colours (e.g. using luminous tape).
Lack of handrails on staircases	Install handrails and advise crew to hold on to them when travelling up or down.
Poor workplace housekeeping	Keep floors and stairs clean and dry as much as possible.
Insufficient lighting	Mark kerbs and steps in bright colours (e.g. using luminous tape).
Distractions (e.g. using a handphone while walking)	Advise crew not to use their handphones while walking.
Carrying of bulky objects while walking	Advise crew to use the lift when carrying bulky objects.