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SINGAPORE: Workplace deaths decreased to 36 in 2025 from 43 the year before, according to the annual workplace safety and health report by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) that was released on Wednesday (Mar 25).
The workplace fatality rate fell from 1.2 per 100,000 workers in 2024 to a record low of 0.96 last year, not including 2020 when construction came to a halt due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of the 36 fatalities in 2025, six were due to work-related traffic accidents. Two fatalities were platform workers.
The top three causes of workplace fatalities in 2025 were vehicular incidents, falls from height, and collapse or failure of structures and equipment. These collectively accounted for 28 workplace deaths.
The construction sector recorded 13 workplace deaths last year, the highest among all industries. This is a decrease from the 20 fatalities in 2024.
More than 90 per cent of the deaths in this sector were incidents that have a higher risk of death.
The transportation and storage sector recorded the second-highest number of deaths, with seven, down from nine in 2024.
All deaths in the transportation and storage sector in 2025 were from incidents with a higher risk of death.
The manufacturing sector recorded four fatalities last year, up from two in 2024.
Speaking at the U Safe Awards ceremony by the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) on Wednesday, Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash said the ministry is reviewing solutions such as the use of video analytics and artificial intelligence to detect workplace safety and health hazards and trigger real-time alerts.
In the second half of 2025, agencies piloted the use of video analytics across 14 construction sites for worksite safety monitoring.
After the pilot concludes in June, the ministry will work with the Building and Construction Authority and public sector agencies to make video analytics a requirement for public sector construction projects, he added.
NTUC's assistant secretary-general Melvin Yong said that where safety technology has been proven to reduce accidents, adoption should not remain voluntary.
"In high-risk sectors, we should mandate established technologies such as anti-collision systems and video analytics to detect unsafe acts."
Mr Yong also said that fatigue must be treated as a core safety issue.
"We must strengthen safeguards on working hours and rest periods and require employers to implement formal fatigue risk management systems."
MAJOR INJURIES
In 2025, 586 workplace major injuries were recorded, a slight drop from the 587 recorded the previous year.
MOM also included major injury data on platform workers for the first time in this year's report. In 2025, there were 74 major injuries involving platform workers.
Following the enactment of the Platform Workers Act, platform operators have been required since Jan 1, 2025, to report work-related injuries and occupational diseases of platform workers. Such data was unavailable before Jan 1, 2025.
Major injuries include amputation, blindness, deafness, paralysis or drowning.
The workplace major injury rate, excluding platform workers, fell to a record low of 15.7 per 100,000 workers in 2025, excluding 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The construction sector had the highest number of major injuries, with 135, followed by the manufacturing industry, which had 120.
The workplace major injury rate for the construction sector was 24 per 100,000 workers, down from 27.3. The major injury rate also decreased for the manufacturing sector, falling to 27.9 last year from 28.9 in 2024.
The transportation and storage sector recorded 57 major injuries last year, up from 40 in 2024.
The accommodation and food service activities industry reported 57 major injuries in 2025, compared with 50 in 2024, while the administrative and support services sector had major injuries.
Mr Dinesh said the ministry has established a Platform Worker Safety Workgroup under the Platform Workers Trilateral Group.
The workgroup brings together representatives from government agencies, platform operators, NTUC and platform work associations, creating a forum to improve platform worker safety.
"The workgroup will explore how to strengthen system incentives and safeguards, and to better protect platform workers from injuries at work.
"This includes enhancing detection and deterrence of unsafe behaviours, providing recognition and rewards for safety outcomes, and raising awareness of road safety risks and safe practices," Mr Dinesh said.
NTUC's assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling said that the workgroup must also deliver real outcomes, not just discussions.
"We expect platform companies to act with urgency and accountability, because every worker deserves to return home safely every single day," she added.
The total number of workplace minor injuries in 2025 was 23,367, including injuries to platform workers.
Excluding platform workers, the total number of reported minor injuries in 2025 was 22,090. This was a 2.6 per cent increase from 21,527 in 2024.
