Fong Sip Chee
Singapore
“These include the flyovers at Paya Lebar Way, Aljunied Road, and various pedestrian overhead bridges. Their design and erection procedures were all found to be safe. The PWD will in future require all contractors to adopt erection procedures with two or more independent safety systems.”
“Sir, the Museum has been out of the fishy business for quite some time already. Since the establishment of the Science Centre, I believe that all the natural history exhibits have been transferred to the Science Centre in Jurong where they are properly displayed in a better environment. The role of the Museum has changed.”
“Mr Ho See Beng asked the Minister for Trade and Industry, with reference to his recent speech regarding increase in water consumption and the possible increase in water rates, whether there is no way of reducing water consumption without raising water charges, and whether he is aware that, as the Public Utilities Board has not ruled out t…”
“The Member for Thomson is absolutely right in his call for the insurance companies to be more active in the area of workers' protection rather than be the most passive party by writing out insurance policies. The Government does the legislation and enforcement. The insurance companies just write out policies.”
“We have also conducted a three-month health education programme, between November 1980 and January 1981, for deep-sea fishermen to educate them on the hazards of using compressed air and the precautions to take. A total of 352 fishermen have undergone this programme. The Ministry will continue to monitor the situation.”
“Sir, the proposed functions of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health are training, consultancy and research in industrial safety and health. A study of how such functions are discharged in some developed and developing countries started in April 1980.”
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“However, there may be many cases which have not been notified either because of wrong diagnosis or that they are very mild. The actual situation could then be much more than what has been obtained through the cases that have been notified. The control of industrial dermatitis is more difficult largely because of the wide variety and large number of chemicals and other irritating substances being handled daily by workers in our industries. Many workers and even management personnel are not conversant with the properties of these substances that can cause skin diseases. The Member was concerned about cancer-causing materials or carcinogenic substances. We do not have any code of practice at the moment for either toxic or cancer-causing substances. As for educational materials, we have compiled three pamphlets on silicosis, industrial skin diseases and cyanide poisoning. If the Member for Potong Pasir has been closely following our monthly newspaper called The New Worker, he would readily admit that there are articles galore on many toxic and carcinogenic substances for the education of our workers. In 1975, the Industrial Health Department carried out a study which confirms that several of the cancer-causing agents are present in certain industries in Singapore. Quite rightly, as pointed out by the Member for Potong Pasir, my Ministry has made it a part of its policy to take measures to protect workers from cancer-causing substances used in industries and announced this in the Addendum to the President's Address on 8th February, 1977, which the Member quoted. In fact, my Ministry has already drawn up a blueprint for the occupational cancer prevention programme for which we are now asking for a provision in the budget. This is the second attempt.”
“We do not have statistics to show the percentage of workplaces that comply with our occupational health standards. These high-risk factories under our surveillance are accorded priority attention. The results of the monitoring will indicate the state of health of the workers. If the results are unsatisfactory or suspicious, the factories are inspected and, where necessary, remedial measures are prescribed for strict compliance. In addition to surveillance activities, the Industrial Health Department carries out surveys from time to time to identify and assess the extent of industrial health programmes in Singapore. To give just a few examples, raw cotton dust diseases, industrial dermatitis and survey of noise-induced deafness caused, for instance, among other things by pneumatic drills. We are well informed in this House of the state of industrial dermatitis. In 1975 I think only nine cases were notified and, in 1976, 187 cases were notified. In 1977 there was a slight drop to 177 cases notified. The majority of cases in 1977 were due to the following: Engineering oil .. 44.1% Solvents .. 13.6% Resins .. 12.4% Allergenic wood .. 6.8% Fibre glass .. 6.2% Cement .. 2.8% Paint .. 1.7% Others .. 12.4% 4.45 p.m. As for the man-hours lost from those who have suffered from industrial dermatitis which the Member has asked for,[ am afraid it is difficult to compile the figures. However, in a study of the 187 cases notified in 1976, it was found that approximately 483 man-days were lost from these cases. Figures for 1977 are still not available. They are now being compiled. If this was compared with the number of man-days lost through industrial accidents, it could be seen that this is very small and insignificant.”
“Qualified industrial hygienists are a special category of scientific officers whose number is scarce the world over, even in the highly developed countries like the United Kingdom and the United States. Hence, to claim that in Singapore we have sufficient people trained in industrial hygiene will be an overstatement. The Department can do with two, three or even more industrial hygienists, but this will entirely depend on what the Treasury allows for in the Budget. According to the WHO expert in industrial hygiene who made a study of the situation in Singapore in 1972, he recommended that five industrial hygienists would be the optimum number required when the Department reaches a stage of development where it would be functioning at a fairly good level. If we base our requirements on this recommendation, then it can be said that there is insufficient qualified and trained industrial hygienists at the moment. But I must point out that there is no norm in determining the number of industrial hygienists against the number of workers, bearing in mind also the level and nature of our industrial development. The Member has sought information about diseases in workplaces. The Industrial Health Department carries out medical surveillance of workers who are exposed to some known risks of industrial diseases, on a priority basis. Some of these workplaces are also periodically monitored for concentrations of toxic substances in the air. There are altogether about 200 factories with about 300 workers under our medical surveillance. From these medical and environmental monitoring activities, we are able to gather information on diseases and health conditions in these workplaces.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Industrial Health Department has a total of 24 professional and technical supporting staff. They are made up of five medical doctors, one industrial hygiene engineer, one industrial hygienist, seven industrial nurses, eight industrial health inspectors and two technicians. Now, of the five doctors, four have specialist qualifications in industrial health, and one is a medical officer who has just joined the service and is under training. The industrial hygiene engineer has a Ph.D. in Chemical engineering from the Manchester University. He has been in the Department for nearly five years. During this period he has had on-the-job training with two ILO experts in industrial hygiene. He has also had a three-month training course in safety and hygiene in Japan. The industrial hygienist has a Master of Science degree in radiation physics from the Rochester University in the United States. He has been in the Department for about 11 months and is still under training. When he has gathered enough practical experience after two years, it is proposed to send him abroad for a course leading to a Master of Science degree in industrial hygiene. The five doctors and the two scientific officers doing industrial hygiene are qualified and can definitely understand toxicology and also analytical methods to the level required for the proper functioning of the Department. The 17 industrial nurses, industrial health inspectors and technicians have, in their basic training and practical experience, knowledge of toxicology and analytical methods, though perhaps obviously not to the same extent as the graduate professional staff.”
“At one stage not all the posts were filled. That was a source of anxiety on my part. That was about two years ago. But since then we have been very active in our discussions with the Treasury and the PSC to fill the posts. I have been informed that there was an improvement but I cannot inform the House whether the entire establishment has been filled. I believe there are only a few vacancies, if at all. I am not so sure about that. I do not wish to mislead the House. I will supply the information later to the Member, if he so desires.”
“Sir, may I answer the second question first? Perhaps I went too fast. I am talking about the technical manpower, the field officers on inspection, minus the supporting clerical staff. The number of technical manpower is as follows: Increase/ Year Number Decrease 1971/72/73 36 1974 39 +3 1975 45 +6 1976 55 +10 1977 55 0 1978 54 -1 (one post being abolished) There has been quite an increase in technical manpower since 1972. 4.30 p.m. Regarding the safety officers course mentioned by the Member for Potong Pasir, I am afraid the Ministry does not organise safety officers course. We do so through our agent in the National Productivity Board. They have their own schedule and commitments. They are working in close liaison with us. As and when there is a need for another course or for a more advanced course for the safety officers, we will be most glad to have them. I believe the courses are still on. They may not be as frequent as at the beginning. I acknowledge that there is a need to upgrade the skill or the knowledge of the present batch of safety officers, but we will have to consider the priorities. First, we have to churn out the safety officers before we can think of upgrading the skill of the existing ones.”
“Unfortunately, Sir, minor accidents increased by 8.2% from 4,053 in 1976 to 4,387 in 1977. The Member for Kim Seng also queried on the degree of severity rate. In terms of frequency and severity rate, there was a drop of frequency rate from 6.4 accidents per million man-hours worked in 1976 to 5.3 in 1977. On severity rate, there was also a drop from 683 man-days loss per million man-hours worked in 1976 to 501 in 1977. Unless the Member for Potong Pasir insists, I do not intend to go into the formula on how we arrived at these figures. It is highly technical, I have got the formula here. With regard to the observation that there is one post less in the Factory lnspectorate, it is a supernumerary post which has been abolished for the year 1978. Perhaps I may inform the House that for the years 1971, 1972 and 1973 the number of technical manpower under the Factory Inspectorate remained stagnant and stood at 36 only. But since 1974 there was an increase of three posts and for 1975, 1976 and 1977 the technical manpower in the Factory lnspectorate increased from 36 to 55. We would welcome more manpower; however, in view of the restriction from Treasury, we are not able to achieve our target of having more manpower to ensure a wider coverage. However, this handicap is being looked after by a better system of deployment to cover the inspections or visits to the factories, and in so doing our staff have been stretched to the limit.”
“In addition to the running of these safety courses, many promotional activities were organised. For the shipyards, a workshop for safety officers was held in April 1977 and a management workshop was held in December 1977. A safety seminar-cum-workshop entitled "The Machine and You" was organised in July 1977 to highlight the importance on the safe use of machinery in accident prevention. This is exactly the point raised by the Member for Bukit Merah that more and more sophisticated machineries have been introduced. For chemicals also, there is a need to upgrade the skill in handling of these materials by our workers. October 1977 was declared as a Safety Month for the woodworking industry and December was declared as a Safety Month for the metal-working industry. During these safety months, mobile exhibitions were prepared by the Factory Inspectorate. They visited many factories in these two industries. An industrial health and safety seminar was also organised for the medium and small industries to help them overcome difficulties in the implementation of industrial safety and health requirements in their factories. In order to increase safety consciousness and to disseminate safety information, the Inspectorate also published many publications. I do not wish to list them here. I think there are about 24 of them. To any Member who is interested in them, I shall be pleased to supply him. With regard to statistics on accidents in factories, there were 32 fatal cases in the construction industry and 25 in the non-construction sector as compared to 32 and 30 respectively in 1976. We can see a small drop of five fatalities for the whole industry in 1977. For the serious accidents, there was a drop of 4.2%, from 141 in 1976 to 135 in 1977.”
“I thought you should have reached the Chairman level by now. I am sorry. I look forward to the day you become the Chairman and we can then have a more useful dialogue. The Ministry does not distinguish between unionised and non-unionised workers. We reach all. So we are able to reach the factory whether the workers are unionised or not. On the service on the safety committee, we do not make a distinction on the eligibility of whether or not he is a member of the union. This is not a problem for us because we do not make any differentiation as far as safety is concerned. The Member for Potong Pasir can rest assured that if we do have any handicap, we may be facing a smaller problem than he now has in the NTUC. May I come to the Member for Bukit Merah. As I said, he hit the nail on the right spot. We are really concerned about the rise in industrial accidents. May I first enlighten the Member with what we have done and what we intend to do, since he has asked for statistics and details of our programme to improve the safety situation. Firstly, a comprehensive programme has been drawn up for the inspection of shipyards, worksites and other factories. This programme is based on the degree of hazards or the hazardous nature of the various industrial sectors. A total of 10,663 inspections and follow-up visits were made in 1977. To complement our enforcement effort, several educational activities am being conducted to educate supervisors and workers on industrial safety. Many training courses are run. These courses include Safety Officers' Course, Safety Orientation Course for shipyard workers, Safety Supervisors Course for construction and the wood-working industry, Safety Training Course for forklift drivers and training course, for signals men and crane drivers.”
“It is, in fact, part and parcel of the duty of the Factory Inspector to give advice to these safety committees on preventive measures to reduce accidents. A short training course has been scheduled in April this year for training of safety committee members on the fundamentals of safety and health requirements so as to help them to function effectively. The Member for Potong Pasir seems to imply that job safety and productivity are incompatible and thus a choice need to be made between the two. There were certain initial misgivings, particularly on the part of employers who harbour the fear that the implementation of safety rules and measures would impede productivity. It is now generally accepted that job safety or a safety system properly interwoven and fitted into production methods would not only save time and money through the elimination of accidents but also contribute towards productivity. Any accident must result in a loss in both life and property and hence productivity is affected. The Factory (Safety Committees) Regulations do not make a distinction between unionised and non-unionised workers. I think the Member for Potong Pasir raised that point. The Member also questioned the effectiveness of the Ministry in reaching the non-unionised workers. In this respect, Sir, may I say that the Ministry's handicap appears to be less than that of the handicap of the Occupational Safety and Health Committee under the NTUC which the Member for Potong Pasir has the distinction of being its Chairman.”
“A new Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction Regulations, 1977, was introduced recently and came into effect in January this year. With the introduction of these two pieces of legislation, together with the extensive educational and promotional programmes, the situation should improve in the coming year. The Member for Potong Pasir is concerned about the effectiveness of safety committees. I think the safety committees are effective means in improving safety and health conditions in factories. Regular checks by the Factory Inspectors are made and, where necessary, our Factory Inspectors will sit as observers on the safety committees. I do not normally read the minutes of the safety committee meetings because I do not think there is a need to do so, as I have full confidence in my staff. I made a mistake last year by bringing one copy. I rectified this mistake this year by bringing none. The Factory Safety Regulations do not require the compulsory submission of their minutes of meetings to the Ministry or the Chief Inspector of Factories because we would not be able to work. However, they are required to keep these minutes and have them available for inspection by my inspectors on their rounds. The Factory Inspector, in reviewing the minutes of the safety committees, will also be able to gauge the effectiveness of these committees. Where the safety committees are found to be wanting in effectiveness, the Factory Inspector will render whatever assistance possible, like sitting in at committee meetings or giving them suggestions or ideas, to ensure that these committees actually perform their functions effectively.”
“Sir, the Ministry generally shares the views expressed by the three Members. We are grateful for their concern on the industrial and health situation in Singapore. May I first deal with the Member for Potong Pasir. As I said, we share his concern in the increased number of accidents in industry. May I at this stage also touch on the point raised by the Member for Bukit Merah. I think he has hit the nail on the right spot. With industrial accidents unabated, it might be a source of anxiety for parents and for young workers entering the industrial sector or refusing to take up the blue collar jobs. I can assure Members in this House as well as all workers that the Ministry will not relent in its effort to push through our safety programmes. This is a very important matter and we will do our best. The increase in the total number of accidents for last year was about 7.5%. This increase was attributed mainly to the minor accidents. The total number of fatality and permanent disablement cases dropped by about 8.6% and 4.2% respectively. 4.15 p.m. My Ministry is concerned over this increase and although they are minor ones they should not be used to gauge accidents reported to the Ministry. There are many near-misses which can be major disasters but since they did not happen they were not reported. Even in this area, the Ministry is also making investigations. So the situation cannot be really gauged by plain statistics alone. Among the measures taken is a proposed amendment to the Factories Act, which was first read in this House on 17th February and it will be taken through its Second and Third Readings at the conclusion of this Budget session.”
“" But if there are no beds in the hospital, then we may take up the case. We are trying to avoid as much as possible all this paper work for the doctor. But, if need be, we may have to enlist his help.”
“Sir, I have explained quite clearly the spirit of the Workmen's Compensation Act and the spirit of the common law. I do not think that at this stage it is advisable for us to make inroads into the area of common law. The Workmen's Compensation Act only pays for the loss of earnings. As to scars or suffering of pain, it is a very difficult matter to determine the degree of pain or area of scar that will affect that worker. Standards of beauty is a personal matter. For ballet dancers, it is quite safe to say that they are not. subjected to workmen's compensation. In any case, their income is much too high to be considered under the Act. Sir, the course for redress is still open. It is still possible for the workers to take it up under the common law. If legal expenses are the anxiety of the worker, then the Legal Aid Bureau can be of help or the union's legal service, as I have mentioned earlier, can come to the rescue. As to the question of hospitalisation, the Member for Boon Teck said that there are not enough beds in the hospital. But we heard from the Minister for Health yesterday that the occupancy rate was about 75%. So until I find out the validity of these two statements, I am not able to comment on it. I do not know which statement is true. A doctor may decide that the worker can rest at home - perhaps it is more comfortable for him. But the Member for Boon Teck said that if, instead of hospitalisation, he is given leave to stay at home, then he should be given an additional medical full pay leave in addition to what he is entitled to, as distinct from hospitalisation leave. We will look into this matter. In this case we have to enlist the help of the doctor again. The doctor may write, "You should go to hospital.”
“As to raising the ceiling from $750 to $800 as a result of the recent consolidation and so on. It is a good suggestion. We will look into this matter. There is some merit in this observation. I hope my belated compliments to the Member should at least appease him.”
“Sir, I quite appreciate the annoyance of the Member because I just forgot to pay him the compliment which he expected. It is not too late, Sir. By the way, I do not carry such a thick volume of the Hansard. I just photostat them. It is more sensible. As to the payment of compensation, I can assure the House that there is no delay. The delay appears to be in the communication between the Ministry of Labour and the hospital. Sometimes it is not possible for the doctor to come to a decision as to the percentage of permanent or temporary incapacity because he has to take some time to assess the injury. Sometimes he might take months. The doctor might have to subject the injured worker to physiotherapy before making his final assessment. Meanwhile, it is the normal practice to give an interim award and this amount is paid to the worker. Really, it is not an administrative delay. It is a question of expertise of the doctor. We have to allow the doctor time to give his medical opinion. I am afraid that the Minister for Labour is not competent to determine the competence of the medical skill of a doctor. We will liaise with the hospital with a view to speeding up these matters if we can. As to the suggestion to raise the quantum of compensation, I think this is quite an exercise. If we agree to this suggestion, we have to do it annually. In fact, every year there is a different inflation rate. I do not think this is a very healthy or neat arrangement. We will observe the situation over a period of time. It is just like the consolidation of the NWC allowances which was carried out after a period of five years. We waited five years for that consolidation. After a period of time, perhaps we can consider revising the quantum of payment.”
“I am pleased to report to the House that the guidelines have been prepared, tested by the specialists both in the Government Hospitals and in the University and they are found to be workable. These guidelines are now being printed and when they are ready they will be supplied free of charge to all Government doctors only. I am afraid the private practitioners may have to pay for them. It is a matter of principle. I have some doubts about the feasibility of the Member for Kim Seng's suggestion for the establishment of a panel or a board to reassess the quantum or percentage of the incapacity. Although it is a good suggestion, I have some doubts about its feasibility. This might encourage the injured workers first to make an objection to each and every assess- ment and requiring the board to convene a meeting to make the reassessment, in which case the board will be landed with such unwieldy amounts of work that it just cannot function. The specialist involved will also be so burdened with these meetings and reassessment that we think it might interfere with his professional duties. I do not think this is a healthy situation. But it is a good suggestion. We will leave it open and when the need arises, we will reconsider the matter. Sir, I believe that I have covered all the points raised by Members. If I have missed any points, will Members please remind me?”
“Perhaps with that assurance on the existing provision in the law, the Member for Boon Teck should be satisfied. If he has any specific case or any point which he wishes to raise, we will consider it. The Member for Boon Teck has been very concerned about workers' welfare, and he also mentioned the question of insurance dispute, delays in the claims as well as who should certify the quantum. In 1977, there were about 300 cases under dispute. The total number of compensable accidents reported under the Workmen's Compensation Act was 30,086. Therefore, the 300 cases under dispute represent about 1.5% of the accidents reported. The majority of cases under dispute are those where the injury sustained results in a partial dysfunction of the limb. Except for these injuries, the Workmen's Compensation Act provides sufficient guidelines for doctors to make an assessment for award for permanent or temporary disability suffered by the workmen. The First Schedule to the Act clearly sets out a list of injuries which result in the complete loss of limbs or part of the limbs and the corresponding award for percentage loss in earning capacity. The Member for Kim Seng also raised the same point. I wish to record a note of appreciation to the Member for Kim Seng in particular, and also to the Member for Boon Teck. As for the Member for Kim Seng, we are grateful to him for initiating the discussion in the House in the last budget session when he voiced his concern on the matter. Action was taken by my Ministry as a result of his observation and a study was made with a view to designing a system which is fair and equitable.”
“Two of the cases referred did not respond to the call letter sent out by the Disablement Resettlement Officer asking them to come for interview for job placement. Three cases withdrew from the scheme to apply for a hawker or taxi licence, and six are pending job placements. Generally, I think the majority of the injured workmen are continuing with their own employment. In view of this, I really do not know whether we should at this stage embark upon large scale rehabilitation or retraining as suggested by the Member for Potong Pasir. I think the Labour Foundation under the auspices of the NTUC has as its declared objective a scheme for rehabilitation training. Maybe these workers can come under their scheme if they can find sufficient numbers to warrant it. As regards the problem raised by the Member for Boon Teck, I have already enlightened the House earlier on the spirit of the Workmen's Compensation Act as well as the spirit of the common law. I do not think I should go back to it again. On the question of temporary incapacity benefits, the entitlement of full wages up to 14 days is given in cases involving no hospitalisation. I think it is more than adequate as the injury sustained in such cases is not serious and the majority are fit to return to work in less than 14 days. For the more serious cases where the workman is hospitalised, he is entitled to full wages for the period of hospitalisation, not exceeding 60 days. This is exactly what the Member for Boon Teck asked for - at least 60 days. The workman is already entitled to it. If his incapacity exceeds this period he is entitled to half monthly payment at the rate of one-third his monthly earnings up to a maximum of $195.”
“In other words, retraining on a large scale. I do not know whether I should comment on this, Sir, but I will state the situation, and perhaps the Member for Potong Pasir can come to a better conclusion. The Ministry realises that injured workers who are permanently incapacitated may require further assistance than mere compensation. I think the assistance given to the workers should not just end there. The Ministry has since 1976 informed such workmen of the availability of a disablement resettlement scheme which is being run by the Employment Service for the purposes of retraining and placement of disabled persons in the job market. During the period June 1976 to March 1977 information pamphlets on the scheme were sent out to 713 workmen who had suffered permanent partial incapacity. However, the response was very poor. Out of 713, only two responded and both declined to register under the scheme. 3.45 p.m. In view of this lack of response the Ministry undertook a more active approach. In May 1977, we interviewed such workmen at the time when they came to collect their compensation. We wanted to know whether or not they required any assistance in securing jobs. During the period from May to December 1977, 150 injured workmen who suffered permanent and partial incapacity were interviewed. Of this total, 129 cases did not require employment assistance. Most of them continued to be employed, whilst a few had their own means of finding employment or they were not interested in looking for employment. The remaining 21 cases which required employment assistance were referred to the Employment Service for placement under the scheme. Of the 21 cases referred, 10 have found employment.”
“In the case of savings accounts of the injured workmen themselves, they are allowed to withdraw during the first year a monthly sum equivalent to twice their monthly earnings at the time of the accident, and for subsequent years a sum equivalent to their monthly earnings. This is to ensure that the workmen or their families have more than sufficient money to spend on better food, medicine as well as other things to build up their strength and to look after their family. Prior to the implementation of the POSB Workmen's Compensation Scheme, the Ministry only holds in trust the compensation payable to the widows and minors and it disburses the compensation in monthly instalments. The amount of disbursementis mainly determined by their needs. The amount is not fixed, as in a schedule. The Member for Potong Pasir raised the question of the need to retrain injured workers. I do not know exactly what he meant. Does he mean a large scale retraining or rehabilitation?”
“Such a worker may either stand to gain very much more or he might not gain anything at all under the common law. Of course, he can have recourse to the Workmen's Compensation Act. I do not wish to go into the details at this stage. In view of the substantial increase in the quantum of compensation payable, the Ministry has noted that there has been some reduction in the number of cases which proceeded under the common law. This was a point mentioned by the Member for Potong Pasir. The reduction is not very significant. For his information, I should perhaps let him have the figures for the years, 1975, 1976 and 1977. They are 352, 368 and 286 respectively. To safeguard the worker or his family from frittering away the lump sum compensation, a point which was also raised by the Member for Boon Teck, the Ministry has implemented the POSB Workmen's Compensation Scheme which came into operation on 1st January, 1977. Under this scheme the beneficiaries who are in receipt of a substantial sum or a lump sum compensation, say, in excess of $5,000, will not be given the whole lump sum. Instead they will be paid an initial sum of $5,000. This is sufficient to tide them over immediate expenses, particularly in fatal cases where funeral expenses have to be incurred and also to ease any possible hardship that might arise. The balance is deposited in a POSB account opened in their name. This account operates like any other POSB savings account except that the account holder is only allowed a monthly withdrawal of a sum to be determined by the Commissioner for Labour. For the dependants of a deceased worker, the monthly sum that can be withdrawn is equivalent to the last drawn monthly earnings of the deceased worker.”
“May I at this stage also touch on the point raised by the Member for Boon Teck as well as the Member for Kim Seng regarding the compensation for such injury as disfiguration or permanent scars left behind as a result of injury. I am afraid one must understand the spirit of the Workmen's Compensation Act. The Act caters only for compensation for loss of earnings. It does not cover pain suffered as a result of injury or inconveniences or permanent scars left behind. Such matters should be taken up under the common law. I do not think the Workmen's Compensation Act should be all embracing as to include compensation for such matters so as to exclude common law claim. I think the common law should also be safeguarded by not making the Workmen's Compensation Act all too embracing. If a worker feels that he should be compensated for, say, a permanent scar, then he can contest under the common law, where he can engage a lawyer or seek assistance of the Legal Aid Bureau or the legal service of his union, if it has any, and submit his claim under the common law. In a common law action, all these factors can be considered. May I at this stage give a caution. Under the Workmen's Compensation Act the liability or mistake made either by the employer or the worker is not a point to be considered. Even if the injured worker concerned is found to be wrong - I would not say blatantly wrong - he would still get his compensation. But in a litigation under common law the worker will have to prove in open court that there has been negligence on the part of the other party. If a worker is found to be also partly responsible for the accident, this fact will affect the quantum of compensation if he is successful in the litigation.”
“Of course, this assumes that the employer does not dispute the quantum. But if he has any objection, he must lodge his objection within 14 days from the date of service of the notice. The new law also provides a penalty on the employers if payment of compensation is delayed. This is in the form of interest charged at the rate of 1 1/2% per month. The interest charged is credited to the Workers Fund. The Member for Potong Pasir may wish to know that one of the objectives of the Workers Fund, established under the Workmen's Compensation Act is to finance rehabilitation schemes for injured workers, much like the Workers Foundation. I believe the Member for Potong Pasir is also a champion of that scheme. The rate of compensation payable under the new Workmen's Compensation Act has been substantially increased. The Member for Potong Pasir has also mentioned the question of inflation, loss of monetary value over the years, the escalation of prices, and so on. In the case of permanent total incapacity, the workman is entitled to a maximum compensation of $45,000 as against only $28,000 under the old Act. And in a fatal case, Sir, the maximum compensation payable is $35,000 as compared with $21,600 under the old Act. In revising upwards the rate of compensation payable, the Minister had taken into consideration the very point raised by the Member for Potong Pasir, that is, the rise in the cost of living over the past few years as a result of inflation. Although the pain and suffering of the workman or the sorrow and anguish of his family and his next-of-kin can never be adequately measured in monetary terms, the present rate of compensation is at least sufficient to give financial relief to the injured workman or his family.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I take it that we will take amendments (4) and (5) together since the Members for Boon Teck and Kim Seng have spoken on the same subject. May I first be allowed to comment on the observations made by the Member for Potong Pasir. The Member for Potong Pasir has been extremely vocal over the years. In fact, he raised generally the same points last year and previous year, and the year previous to that, and previous to that and still previous to that! It all remains for me now to update him with the information in this annual exercise. I will begin with a brief roundup of the situation regarding the Workmen's Compensation Act. Sir, under the new Workmen's Compensation Act, 1975, which came into operation in October 1975, the system of administration and enforcement has been streamlined to ensure a more expeditious payment of compensation to the injured workers or their dependants. The long delays in the past were caused by many factors, such as the need to sign the memorandum of agreement, the need to ascertain the status of dependency of the injured workers as well as their economic dependency. There were also delays caused by the insurance companies disputing or repudiating the claims, a point which the Member for Boon Teck also raised. Under the new Act, the dependants of a deceased worker are assured full compensation as assessed by the Com- missioner for Labour, without having to establish their economic dependency on the deceased worker. Of course, the question of the status of dependency, relationship or kinship to the workers will have to be determined as a matter of legal procedure. Once a notice of assessment of compensation is served on the employer, the employer has to pay the compensation within 21 days from the service of the notice.”
“Sir, it is under the Ministry of Labour, Subhead Code MA-01, item 3310. The hon. Member for Potong Pasir should have filed an amendment under this Subhead. I am afraid it is too late for that.”
“Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, to save time I will just raise my points in question form. The Senior Minister of State has said that as a result of this announced reduction in import duties and ARF for taxis, he expected an improvement in the taxi service. My question is: does it therefore mean that the imposition of such a fee in the first instance was meant as a disincentive for an improved service? In other words, was it meant to obstruct an improved service? The next question is related. Does he mean that it is the deliberate policy of the Government to impose a higher fee and thereafter reduce it to show that the Government is benevolent? Another question. The area licensing fee will be reduced from 1st April, from $4 to $2 for a daily licence and from $80 to $40 for a monthly licence. He expects an increase in the number of taxis after this new rate of fees. Does he mean, therefore, that he wants more taxis to go to the City area now? Or does it mean that he was quite satisfied that the initial fee would not affect the taxi population in the City and that there were sufficient taxis to serve the people there? The last question. There is one junction near Killiney Road. I think it is Somerset Road, where roadside trees were planted. As a result, you cannot see the traffic lights; so a letter was sent to the press complaining about it. The answer to this complaint in the press was that, instead of removing those trees planted wrongly, they put up another traffic light about one metre away from the first one. So there are now two traffic lights within a distance of one metre.”
“841 of the verbatim report dated 14th March so that both the Senior Minister of State for Education and the Member for Moulmein can adopt as a guiding principle in their bargaining. If that is observed, the Ministry of Labour shall be more at ease. The Member for Anson was referring to an Indian poem. I do not know Tamil but I will try to read it in Tamil. The Member for Anson read this in Tamil and I quote: 'Iyarralum eattalum kathalum Katha vakuthalum vallathu arasu' For the benefit of the other language interpreters, as some of them are scratching their heads. I now read out the translation by the Member for Anson himself given there, so that the other Members in this House can also understand, and I hope my two colleagues, the Senior Minister of State for Education and the Member for Moulmein will follow me and heed this advice: (In English): "To explore better ways for revenue, To save and safeguard the same, And to spend it wisely, Is the duty of the Government." I hope that they will bargain according to this principle, so that the Ministry of Labour will have no cause to intervene in the negotiation. It will be very unpleasant otherwise. Thank you. 7.45 p.m.”
“We have many graduates from Nanyang University in this House. I do not wish to offend them. The question is, if we go to the Government departments, like the important Ministry of National Development which is a gorgeous building, we will see this Chinese inscription over the lift door:() (Dian ti zai bao yang) (The lift is recuperating.) This is not Chinese. This notice translated into Chinese does not sound Chinese. After some investigation I found that the characters are Japanese, yet they are used as Chinese and hung up there. Every year in the National Day celebrations we see all kinds of PA, and other banners and buntings with slogans, written in very poor Chinese, hung all over Singapore. Who is there to complain? How to get teachers to rectify it? It would appear that the Minister for Education has to look into the question of poor standard of Chinese in Singapore. The Prime Minister has said ours is bilingual education. We have to find a balance in bilingual education, we cannot and must not implement bilingual education with emphasis on one language only. On the question of allowances, from the Ministry of Labour's point of view, I am a little apprehensive because we are trying to rationalise wages and not to raise salaries indiscriminately. That is the duty of the Ministry of Labour. If, as the Senior Minister of State has said, this post allowance is still in a stage of consultation and therefore not convenient to deal with it in this House, so to both of them I can only quote the words of the Member for Anson in this House on the 14th March about how to spend money. May I quote from col.”
“Where are we to get the teachers? An hon. Member: Nanyang University.”
“Do not get excited yet, Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir. Originally, the spearhead of my attack this year is not directed against the Ministry of Education. When I made a deeper study of the achievements of the Ministry of Education over the last one year. I found that the performance is really not bad. But I am particularly impressed by the performance of the Senior Minister of State in his manner and style in answering questions, which could be said to be wonderful. He has been very adept in avoiding certain major issues but picking on the lighter ones. He has got the air of magnanimity of a Confucian scholar. That really is "admirable". The debate went over to the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs, then to the Member for Boon Lay regarding the remarks made by him, and now the Ministry of Labour is also involved in the fray. The Member for Boon Lay said that the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Foreign Affairs was quoting him out of context. It is very strange, but the crux of the matter boils down to the question of education. If you look at the Sin Chew Jit Poh and Nan yang Siang Pau newspapers you will notice that they report differently, even on the same debate in this House. This is really a question of education. So you cannot say that the Ministry of Education was doing things stealthily and trying to change some system. I think the main point is the standard of Chinese in Singapore. When the standard of English is poor, we have gone out of our way and taken the trouble to recruit teachers from Great Britain with the native accent of English - well and good. My spoken Mandarin is also not on par with good norm. But the question is, when you have a lower standard of Chinese in Singapore, who is complaining?”
“So all that I am going to add is that a museum is a museum. It is not a china shop. A museum isa place where all the old things of historical value are being housed. Since we do not have so many things of a historical value, we have to do with the old ones which are already there. In a china shop, of course, we can have a new display every week or whenever a shipment comes in. That is another matter. The Advisory Committee of the Museum has done a very good job. Of course, we are not the kind of people that would be accused of guo qiao chou ban ( ) which means "After we have crossed the bridge, we will take away the plank."”
“Sir, I had the fortune or misfortune to serve in the same Committee as the Member for Katong. The Member for Telok Blangah said that the Museum appeared to be nothing new but a rearrangement of exhibits. The Museum has been there for many years and the arrangement was there for those many years that it only conformed to the old display technique. What I understand is that the Museum is now undergoing renovation to upgrade and update itself in the style, manner and artistic display of the very valuable exhibits. Maybe the Member for Telok Blangah is under the misconception that it is a simple means to deceive the public. I can assure the Member that being quite associated with the Museum myself, that is not the case, First, it has to get itself geared up, update itself and then we can talk about whether or not we should have a department to show the history of Singapore. But now and then, exhibitions like the nyonya dress and so on will highlight one particular aspect of the history of Singapore and that the cumulative effect will give us a better indepth than just walking into the Museum and declare that "I have emerged from the history of Singapore." It is not possible at this stage to put everything together in the very constricted area of the National Museum. If the Member for Telok Blangah spends three hours in the Museum and declares that "I have been to the Museum", I think he is not being honest with himself. That is not the way to see a museum. I will have to spend at least one week if I want to understand every exhibit in our Museum alone. However, in etiquette, the Member for Telok Blangah might think it is. Mr Jek Yeun Thong: Sir, the Member for Kampong Chai Chee has already spoken what I am going to say.”
“So this is the problem that will haunt us in the next few years until we find ways and means, either punitive or otherwise, to bring them in line with the thinking of the Ministry.”
“Well, if the Member is persistent, monthly it will be, but only to him or any other. Member here who is interested. We find that it would be a useless exercise to publish these reports because only about 1% of the people read them. Generally, I share the concern of the Member for Potong Pasir regarding the safety situation in the construction industry. As stated by the Minister during the debate on the President's Address, while the accident frequency and severity rates have improved, the safety situation in the construction industry needs further improvement. I assure the Member that we know what we are doing. We have been monitoring the situation and the increase in the number of accidents is mainly due to a better monitoring system, as we have repeatedly said in the past. There is a committee looking into this problem with representatives from the Singapore Institute of Architects, the Singapore Institute of Surveyors, the Institute of Builders and the Association of Consultant Engineers. The Member can see that this committee is highly specialised. They are people who know exactly what they are talking about. There is no question of the Ministry not knowing how to handle the problem. But there is one point which I wish to leave to the Member for Potong Pasir to think about. It is extremely difficult to convince the contractors and their workers because they are not that organised. The workers are not unionised, so the NTUC cannot reach them. With the educational level of the contractors. from illiterate to semi-literate, it is very difficult to deal with them; unlike the shipbuilding industry where we deal with more enlightened people.”
“Where there is a need to keep a close tab on the situation, such as in the case of the two most accident-prone industries, the building construction and shipbuilding and repairing industries, monthly accident statistics are compiled and submitted for the information of the two advisory committees under the Ministry. These committees, with representatives from interested parties are established by the Ministry to look into ways and means of preventing accidents in these two industries. The Member for Potong Pasir may be aware that there are representatives from the unions, namely PIEU and NTUC, in these two committees. Nevertheless, if the Member for Potong Pasir is interested to have NTUC representatives on these committees or to have the statistics, we would supply all the data to him.”
“Sir, the American Standard Z 16.1 does not give us the accident statistics. It is a format to teach us how to calculate man-days lost. They call it ANSI Z 16.1. Sir, may I first deal with the Member's question on statistics. The Member for Potong Pasir has queried on the reason why the Ministry has stopped publishing these monthly reports. I presume the Member is more interested in statistics on accidents alone because this report also contained other information. I wish to say that the Member appears to have been mistaken when he stated that we have ceased publication of these statistics. The Ministry has decided to change the frequency of this publication from monthly to six-monthly. So if the Member could wait until June, I can assure him that a copy will be sent to him. The publication of the Monthly Report first started in 1955. Unfortunately, for the last two days I have not been able to uncover the thinking behind the origin of this Monthly Report. This is rather an odd procedure. No other Ministry publishes monthly reports. In view of the shortage of supporting clerical staff, the Ministry has been considering for some time the need for the continuance of the publication of the monthly report, which involves the cutting of stencils, proof reading, printing and binding. Senior officers are also involved in preparing and vetting of the draft departmental reports before compiling them for production which, again, would mobilise a good number of officers for a week or so. It is a very labour-intensive piece of work.”
“the Ministry will continuously review the staffing position of the Inspectorate and will make requests for more staff as and when there is an increase in workload or the level of operation is stepped up in future. Finally, may I just touch on two other points raised by the Members for Sembawang and Anson. The Member for Sembawang quoted statistics of construction site accidents. I have got the figures here. In 1976, the total number of accidents at all work sites is 698, out of which 241 took place in Housing Board sites, representing 34.5%. On the cases of fatalities or death cases, out of 32 death cases the Housing Board sites took 21 or 65.6%. The Housing Board has now got its own Safety Department with trained officers and they are setting up their own enforcement and safety standards at their sites. I believe they have been doing good work, and I am informed that the HDB has also inaugurated its own disincentive scheme by imposing penalties on their contractors who are found to have flouted safety rules. I believe that with action on the part of the Housing Board, the safety standards in HDB construction sites will certainly improve in the future.”
“As the Institute gradually takes shape, other functions such as consultancy and research can then be added, if deemed expedient. Three safety and health exhibitions have been organised in the past. The first was in 1974 for the construction industry. The second in 1975 for the shipbuilding and repair industry. And the third in 1976 for the woodworking industry. These exhibitions have created among employers and workers a greater awareness of industrial safety and health problems in their respective industries. These exhibitions have, therefore, in that sense assisted us in making work in the industries more safe. Both Members touched on the staffing of the Factory Inspectorate. The Factory Inspectorate can certainly do with more field officers. For the present level of operation, the number of field officers is adequate when stretched to the limit with back-up systems of safety officers and safety committee down at the plant level. The Factory Inspectorate continuously reviews the methods of operation to streamline our inspection and to ensure high quality of work and also wider coverage. Hon. Members may have observed that the Factory Inspectorate field officers have been significantly augmented in the past years. In 1973 we had a total of 36 field officers in the establishment, whereas there are now a total of 55 in the current establishment. The rate of increase in the field staff of the Inspectorate compares favourably with the increase in the number of factories registered with the Inspectorate. There were, 4,880 factories in 1973 as compared to 5,747 (not 10,000 as the Member for Sembawang said earlier) by the end of 1976. However.”
“Sir, while industrial safety and health has improved in the construction worksites and shipyards, I agree with the Member for Sembawang that there is still room for improvement, especially in the case of the construction industry. The number of fatalities in worksites dropped from 36 in 1975 to 32 in 1976, but the number of minor accidents increased from 651 to 698. The Ministry will concentrate on two major types of accidents, that is, workers falling from heights and also workers struck by falling objects, to make construction worksites a safer place to work. The main objective of the proposed setting up of the Institute of Occupational Safety and Health is to centralise the various ad hoc arrangements for training of safety personnel. At the moment, training is conducted by several agencies and it is difficult to maintain consistent standards due to the frequency of the courses as well as the change of instructors. This is not to say that the standards are low, but this arrangement is rather haphazard and unhealthy. Whilst the present arrangement appears to meet the existing requirements, it is considered inadequate in the long run, taking into consideration the type and the number of industries with more and more sophisticated machinery, the handling of raw materials with chemical and other dangerous content. I must assure the Member for Sembawang that this proposal is being actively pursued. An indicative five-year development plan is being worked out and the matter will be taken up shortly with the relevant authorities for approval. I must caution though at this stage that the Institute must be realistic in its approach and should not take on other responsibilities that may not be immediately relevant to the industrial scene.”
“The Member for Anson may wish to refresh his memory by looking up the Hansard. The Member for Anson referred to the accident at the Senoko Power Station. I believe the Member for Sembawang also raised that point. A crane which was stuck in the rut overturned while it was being manoeuvred into position. The accident occurred during salvage operations to upright the crane. Investigations showed that the crane overturned as a result of several factors. Firstly, the ground was at an incline and it was not suitable to bear the weight of the crane which was a heavy equipment. Secondly, the boom - I wonder whether the Member for Sembawang understands what the boom of a crane is. It is the hand of the crane used for hoisting. The boom of the crane was raised and opened up so to speak, thus adversely affecting the stability of the crane. To make it worse, two mechanical shovels were used to free the crane from the rut (rather stupid I would say) one pulling from the front and the other pushing from the rear. It was not a synchronised movement. There were two operators working on two separate mechanical shovels, one pulling and the other pushing. The movement was not synchronised, power was not synchronised, very unfortunate, and this resulted in the crane overturning. There were some workers working around and the accident took place as described by the two hon. Members. Sad to say, Sir, there was supervision at the site by an engineer. Obviously there had been some error of judgment. I do not wish to comment further on this as my Ministry is investigating into the case and is contemplating taking appropriate action. So I think I should refrain from commenting further on this particular case.”
“Take, for instance, the total number of fatalities in the last few years: 88 deaths in 1974, 67 in 1975 and 63 in 1976. Members can see a gradual decline. These figures appear to be roughly one-third, more or less, of the total fatalities reported under the Workmen's Compensation Act which covers non-industrial establishments, that is to say, no licence is required or the need to report in accordance with the provisions of the Factories Act. For this category. I will broadly classify them as "other occupational accidents" which include white collar or non-industrial workers. Sir, the definition is necessary and important because very often the term "industrial accident" or "accident at work site" is used which, if left unclarified, might result in the psychological resentment and resistance of our young workers in entering the industrial sector or taking on blue collar jobs. The hon. Members for Anson and Sembawang have raised certain questions regarding industrial safety and health. May I take the Member for Anson first. He asked what measures of safety have been introduced and implied that my Ministry has been complacent in regard to industrial safety and health programmes. In his statement during the debate on the President's Address, my Minister has already informed the House of the measures that my Ministry has taken to improve industrial safety and health. These measures include the setting up of safety and health standards, stepped-up enforcement, training of safety personnel. supervisors and workers and the promotion of greater safety and health consciousness among employers and workers. As a result of these measures, there has been an improvement in safety and health in our shipyards and slight improvement in the construction work sites.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, in fact the shortest answer to these two proposals is yes, we welcome more staff. Definitely it will do us a whole world of good. But before I deal with the specific points raised by both the Member for Anson and the Member for Sembawang, perhaps I might take this opportunity to enlighten the two Members on certain statistical information which they might have read from the Press from time to time and on which they might have based their observations. The Member for Sembawang has quoted the correct statistics. Could the Member for Potong Pasir, please take note? This is very important, as I will explain now. The state of industrial health and safety cannot be measured merely on simple statistics on the number of cases and the number of fatalities alone. There are other factors which must be taken into consideration in order to obtain a proper assessment of the real situation. A detailed explanation might be too academic for the purposes of discussion in this House. Therefore, I think it would suffice to state that other factors, such as the severity rate, frequency rate, number of man-hours worked, number of workers and so on, are all important considerations. 3.15 p.m. The random quoting of statistics in the mass media appears to have swayed the views of some hon. Members as well as members of the public; hence the observation that the state of industrial health and safety in the Republic appears to have got out of hand. I have previously explained in this House that there is a difference between the statistics of the workmen's compensation figures and the Factory Inspectorate figures. Briefly, for working purposes, the Ministry defines "industrial accidents" as those reportable under the Factories Act.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the Industrial Health Department monitors the health level, without the power to insist that the quarries should install certain gadgets or equipment. Discussion is going on between my Ministry and the Ministry of National Development as to how previous regulations and control which were transferred to them can again be, shall I say, revived.”
“Mr Speaker, Sir, the function of the control of granite quarries has been transferred to the PWD. I am afraid I am not able to provide any answer to that without notice. That function is no longer the responsibility of the Ministry of Labour.”
“The question of different exposure time and different levels is rather technical and complicated. It is not necessary that a person must be exposed for six hours to 90 decibels. It is exposure time and the frequency of the exposure. I do not think I should involve the House in this highly technical argument. If the Member insists, I can produce statistics but I do not think it is fair to the House to proceed along this line.”
“Sir, as to the question of the amount of compensation paid. I am afraid that up till now no compensation has been paid to any of those 42 cases. They are still under medical assessment. To be fair to the workers, we need to observe them, and until such time when the doctor is satisfied that they deserve a certain percentage of compensation, they shall be paid according to the Schedule. Mr Ivan Baptist: Mr Speaker, Sir, I was not talking about noise level. I was talking about exposure time. Could the Parliamentary Secretary clarify this point? When he spoke about 90 decibels, that is the noise level, but exposure time is important too.”
“Sir, the accepted noise level in the United States should not be taken as a yardstick for our purpose. In fact, the problem in the United States has grown beyond the question of protecting the workers. As I have said, there is a difference between noise pollution control and hearing conservation. We are adopting hearing conservation but not noise pollution control. In the United States this problem has grown far beyond the scope of industrial health. It has become a political issue where even a politician running for a mayor -”
“I am very sorry, Sir. The three languages are English, Chinese and Malay. Unfortunately, we left out Tamil because we believe most of the Tamil workers do read English. And for reasons of cost and coverage, we believe the three languages would suffice to cover the entire workforce. If there is a need in some particular industry where Tamil workers are in the majority, we will produce future booklets with Tamil in mind.”
“The compensation awarded under the Act is based solely on the objective yardstick of the loss of earning capacity. Subjective factors such as pain and suffering should not be included in the assessment of compensation to be paid under the Act. I hope I have answered the questions raised by the hon. Members.”