In a press release, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) published the figures on workplace safety for 2021. In total, there were 37 fatalities, comparable to that in 2019 before Covid-19 hit. There were also about 610 incidents which resulted in major injuries, a slight drop compared to 629 in 2019. Even so, the incident rate is higher when adjusted for the smaller pool of workers in 2021.
The incidence rate rises up further after factoring in minor injuries reported over the year. The rate of 653 minor injuries per 100,000 workers leave much to be desired. Minor injuries were required to be reported by employers with effect from 1 Sep 2020.
What do these figures mean and how does that affect companies? For one, any fatalities and major injuries will mean that there are families lost or lives changed permanently because of these incidents. Also, for serious incidents, companies will be issued stop work orders by MOM till investigations are complete. This will impact operations of companies as they will not be able to operate till the order is lifted. Companies will also be liable for compensations to affected workers under the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA).
Coupled with the change to the WIC to include payouts for minor injuries in 2020, higher incidence rate will no doubt result in higher insurance premium for WIC insurance policies amid the higher total claims, and companies with a poor record will face higher premiums or even rejection from insurers to cover their employees.Contact MAKinsure for your company’s WIC renewals today and enjoy potential savings with quote comparison from various insurers.