IT IS good to know that fewer workers were killed at work ("Fewer deaths, but more getting hurt while at work"; April 3).
Those who contributed to the improved statistics deserve a pat on the back.
But compared with Britain, which had a workplace fatality rate of 0.44 death per 100,000 workers in 2013/2014, Singapore's rate of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 workers is still far from acceptable.
The Manpower Ministry has been promoting a Vision Zero policy, which states that no loss of life is acceptable and all accidents are preventable ("Singapore aiming for zero workplace accidents, but change in mindset needed"; ST Online, Sept 11, 2013).
I support this philosophy.
I once lamented to a contractor friend about the number of workplace fatalities here and the living conditions of our foreign workers.
My friend retorted that his workers' living conditions were better than what they have in their home country, and that more people are killed on the roads than in the workplace.
Such a mindset is a stumbling block for Vision Zero.
Change takes time, but it will never happen if we allow unsafe and Third World mindsets to pervade.
Vision Zero is a variant of the Culture of Excellence, which is an important ingredient for Singapore's success.
Can a workplace achieve excellence if it is unsafe and dangerous? I do not think so.
I hope more people and companies will adopt the philosophy of Vision Zero and promote a Culture of Excellence in all aspects of our lives.
Goh Yang Miang
Those who contributed to the improved statistics deserve a pat on the back.
But compared with Britain, which had a workplace fatality rate of 0.44 death per 100,000 workers in 2013/2014, Singapore's rate of 1.8 deaths per 100,000 workers is still far from acceptable.
The Manpower Ministry has been promoting a Vision Zero policy, which states that no loss of life is acceptable and all accidents are preventable ("Singapore aiming for zero workplace accidents, but change in mindset needed"; ST Online, Sept 11, 2013).
I support this philosophy.
I once lamented to a contractor friend about the number of workplace fatalities here and the living conditions of our foreign workers.
My friend retorted that his workers' living conditions were better than what they have in their home country, and that more people are killed on the roads than in the workplace.
Such a mindset is a stumbling block for Vision Zero.
Change takes time, but it will never happen if we allow unsafe and Third World mindsets to pervade.
Vision Zero is a variant of the Culture of Excellence, which is an important ingredient for Singapore's success.
Can a workplace achieve excellence if it is unsafe and dangerous? I do not think so.
I hope more people and companies will adopt the philosophy of Vision Zero and promote a Culture of Excellence in all aspects of our lives.
Goh Yang Miang
