The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act will cover all workplaces from Sept 2011

Your safety and health is important. This is why the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act now covers you. To ensure that workplaces are safe and healthy, both employers and employees have a part to play in managing risks and preventing incidents.

The Workplace Safety and Health Act
The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act will cover all workplaces from September 2011. Under this Act, employers must manage risks at work while employees must adhere to safe work practices. For more information on the WSH Act, please visit MOM’s website here.

Roles and responsibilities
Under the Act, employees have a duty to keep your workplace and colleagues safe. You should:
• follow safety and health procedures at your workplace;
• not endanger yourself and your colleagues;
• not tamper with safety devices or perform wilful or reckless acts;
• report unsafe work conditions, behaviours and workplace incidents (regardless of whether an injury takes place); and
• provide suggestions to improve safety and health at work.
 Under the Act, employers are required to ensure the safety and health of every one of their employees. Employers should:
• remove or control risks at their workplace;
• maintain a safe work environment;
• make sure that safety is maintained in all equipment used at the workplace;
• develop plans for dealing with emergencies; and
• provide employees with clear plans and resources to keep their workplace safe.

To help you fulfil your obligations under the Act, read on for more information on risk management and incident reporting.