Raffles City Convention Centre

Level 4, Canning Ballroom

80 Bras Basah Road, Singapore 189560
Contents
1. Synopsis 3
2. Welcome Address 4
3. Opening Address 5
4. Launch of Observatory for Workplace Safety and Health Landscape (OWL) 6
5. Presentation I: Observing the Future with an Eye on the Past 7
6. Presentation II: German Risk Observatory: follow-up from an EU initiative 8
7. Presentation III: Emerging issues and trends in the work environment: the impact and 9
challenges on OHS research
8. Presentation IV: New and Emerging OSH Risks in Asia 10
9. Presentation V: Natsteels Total WSH Journey 11
10. Presentation VI: BOHS Implementation and Successes 12
11. Panel Discussion 13
12. Closing Address 17
13. Annex A: Visual Recording of the Proceedings during the Forum 18
14. Annex B: Programme Outline 20

2
Synopsis
The Workplace Safety & Health Institute Forum 2015 was held on
11 March 2015 and some 360 participants were in attendance.
Themed Bridging Knowledge, Broadening Horizons, one of
the highlights of the forum was the launch of the Observatory for
WSH Landscape (OWL), to observe, analyse and communicate
changes in the workforce, workplace and working life, and
understand their impact on Workplace Saftey and Health (WSH)
in Singapore and Asia. The forum brought together experts from
risk observatories in Asia, Europe and Canada to talk about the
risks identified and how they are managed through the provision
of holistic integrated services.

Refer to Annex A for the visual recordings of the event.

3
Welcome Address

by Dr. Gan Siok Lin,

Executive Director of the WSH Institute

The welcome address was delivered by Dr. Gan Siok Lin, Executive Director of the WSH Institute. Dr. Gan welcomed
the participants to the session and shared that it was the institutes privilege to bring together distinguished
international experts and practitioners in occupational safety and health from Asia, Canada, Europe and Singapore.
Dr. Gan was also encouraged by the turnout which saw a good mix of corporate leaders, researchers, public officers,
representatives from the various industry, and safety and health professionals. This signified greater support and
commitment by the WSH community towards acquiring the most up-to-date knowledge in WSH.

Dr. Gan shared that WSH risk observatories have existed for many years in Europe and North America, and their
primary role is to proactively identify new and emerging WSH risks for the western economies. These observatories
have been very successful with their work resulting in practical solutions and effective interventions. With the current
workplace landscape being altered rapidly by changes in technology, lifestyle and demographics, it is timely for
Singapore to set up its own WSH risk observatory, aptly named OWL or the Observatory for WSH Landscape, to
serve Singapore and even Asia.

The forum had two main objectives. Firstly, WSH thought leaders and experts would share their experience and
opinions on emerging issues, risks and trends in the work environment internationally. Secondly, to learn from the EU
and Singapore on how WSH risks are managed through the provision of holistic integrated WSH services.

4
Opening Address

by Dr. Amy Khor,

Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower

The opening address was delivered by Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health and Manpower. Dr. Khor
shared that in 2014 Singapores workplace fatality rate dropped to a record low of 1.8 fatalities per 100,000
employed persons, and with this, Singapore had met the WSH 2018 target few years in advance. While this is
certainly commendable, it was also essential to further reduce work-related injuries and ill health. Prevention was key
to this and the early detection of risk would certainly help. To this end, the setting up of the Observatory for WSH
Landscape (OWL) to collect, analyse and share data on new and emerging WSH risks, was timely.

Dr. Khor also cited three examples of how the WSH institute contributed positively towards improving WSH practices
in Singapore through OWL. Firstly, research projects such as ConstructHealth would provide insights on the
burden of occupational cancers and non-malignant lung diseases in activities in the construction and marine sectors.
Secondly, predictive modelling was being used to identify high risk construction companies so that implementation
measures could be put in place to prevent injuries. Lastly, it involved establishing strong links with local and
international partners to pool together knowledge and experience on WSH trends worldwide.

Other than the focus on safety, the WSH Council, and Institute had also been advocating Total WSH, an approach
that placed equal emphasis on the safety, health, and well-being of workers. With rapid changes in technology,
lifestyle and demographics, these would bring about potential health problems that impact safety and employees
ability to work. In this regard, companies had a big part to play in integrating health and well-being of the workers at
the workplace.

She hoped that the session would educate and inspire everyone to make changes in their workplace and improve the
way they managed WSH risks at work.

5
Launch of Observatory for WSH Landscape (OWL)

The Observatory for WSH Landscape (OWL) is to observe, analyse and

communicate changes in WSH, covering workforce, workplace and working
life to researchers, policy makers and industries in Singapore and Asia, so as
to promote collaboration to advance WSH policies and practices.

For more information, refer to OWL brochure.

6
Presentation I:

Observing the Future with an

Eye on the Past
by Mr Eddie Morland,
Chief Executive, Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL),
United Kingdom

The guest speaker for the first presentation was Mr Eddie Morland who is the Chief Executive of the Health and
Safety Laboratory (HSL) in the United Kingdom.

Mr Morland started off by introducing the HSL, which is an agency under the UKs Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
HSLs mission is to save and improve the lives of workers, and in so doing helps businesses succeed. In order to
achieve its mission, HSL has the widest science base of any equivalent laboratory in Europe.

Mr Morland shared that one of the methods used at the HSL to understand the future was horizon scanning which
has been widely adopted by government agencies in the UK following the foot-and-mouth outbreak in 2001 which
resulted in huge losses. At the HSL, horizon scanning was done for three different timeframes i.e. present and near-
term, medium term and long term, that is to say that it looked at both within and beyond the parliamentary term in
order to be better prepared. In carrying out horizon scanning, HSL also did not only look at what is to come or likely
to come, but also at the evolution of what exists in the next two to three decades.

One of the techniques employed in horizon scanning at the HSL was driver analysis which looked at social,
technological, economic, environmental, and political drivers, or STEEP. In so doing, HSL has identified the
top ten issues (which are listed below not in any order of priority):
Demographics Robotics
Working Patterns & Precarious Working Hydrogen Economy
Recycling Human Performance Enhancement
Pervasive Computing Nanotechnology
Sustainability Advance Manufacturing

Elaborating on Demographics, Mr Morland highlighted that communicating with Small and Medium-sized Enterprises
(SMEs) which formed 80-95% of all businesses in a country could be potentially challenging. On Working Patterns
and Precarious Working, he mentioned that companies may find it difficult to train workers who work from home
and rarely report in physically (in health and safety issues), especially since these workers may not identify with the
company in the first place. On Recycling, the training that workers received may be inadequate as more toxic stuff
gets recycled, so this is a trend that HSL is monitoring. On Sustainability and Hydrogen Economy, Mr Morland shared
an anecdote of a simulated scenario carried out by the HSL in which a hydrogen tanker which was leaking caused a
huge explosion to illustrate a point that what was incredible could actually happen, and was possible in
real life.

Lastly, Mr Morland also shared how the HSLs Foresight Centre brought together consultants, multi-disciplinary
engineers etc. to come up with strategies and solutions in order to mitigate new and emerging risks to occupational
safety and health associated with new technologies in green jobs.

7
Presentation II:

German Risk Observatory:

follow-up from an EU initiative
by Prof. Dr. Dietmar Reinert,
Director, Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (IFA),
Germany

The guest speaker for the second presentation was Prof. Dr. Dietmar Reinert who is the Director of the Institute for
Occupational Safety and Health (IFA) of the German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) in Germany.

Dr. Reinert shared on the set-up of the DGUVs risk observatory and how its experts carried out trend-scouting
to build up knowledge about early signals or trends. These data were then shared with industrial practitioners to
improve workplace conditions. Following this, Dr. Reinert went on to define an emerging risk as any risk that was both
new and/or increasing in the sense of growing number of hazards, increasing likelihood of exposure, and worsening
effects on workers health and safety.

In a bid to create a prioritised list of emerging risks, the DGUV organised the Delphi surveys: three rounds of surveys
which targeted 400 researchers, with an average response rate of 40%. The questionnaires in the surveys were
divided into three sectors namely public, industrial, and service. Important trends identified in all the three sectors
are listed in the table below.
Important Trends

Public Sector Industrial Sector Service Sector

Globalisation Globalisation Globalisation

Developing into a service society Exposure to new hazardous Exposure to new hazardous
substances substances
Developing into a service society
Unhealthy lifestyle

Dr. Reinert noted that globalisation was an important trend identified in all the sectors. Some of the important
emerging risks due to globalisation were:
Work intensity and long working hours
Excessive responsibility due to staff savings
Networking and accessibility by computer and IT-technologies

To mitigate the harmful effects of work intensity and long working hours, Dr. Reinert also shared some measures that
could be taken:
Raising awareness among staff and management on the topic of self-exploitation
Support for businesses to conduct risk assessment with regards to psycho-social strain
Training of stress consultants at the workplace.

8
Presentation III:

Emerging issues and trends

in the work environment: the
impact and challenges on OHS
research
by Ms Marie Larue,
President-CEO. Institut de recherche Robert-Sauv en sant et
en scurit du travail (IRSST), Canada

The guest speaker for the third presentation was Ms Marie Larue, President-CEO of the Institut de recherche Robert-
Sauv en sant et en scurit du travail (IRSST) in Canada.

At the start of the presentation, Ms Larue shared that one of IRSSTs roles was to bridge the gap in communication
between scientists and government officials, and she was candid enough to state that she was here to share
questions rather than answers from IRSSTs work in Quebec, Canada. The emerging issues and trends she talked
about in her presentation were:
Increase in female labour force participation Aging of population and labour force population
Extension of the working life Transition to a service economy: tertiarization
Increase of foreign-born workers population Challenges related to legislative and regulatory
New technologies frameworks
Green jobs Risk management in a greater uncertainty
Management challenges of multifactorial diseases Climate change

On the increase in female labour force participation, according to Ms Larue, even though it appeared that the
frequency of occupational injuries to women was lower, it was primarily because women tend to be in jobs in the
service sectors. After adjusting for job type, the frequency was actually the same for both genders, hence, women
cannot be neglected when it comes to OSH. On the ageing population and labour force, Ms Larue said that an
ageing population meant that people need to work till much older due to labour shortage. With older workers at the
workplace, there was a need to look at how ageing affected OSH. Studies had shown that older workers were injured
less often and it was possible that they had developed some know-how to keep safe which was not passed on to the
young. In this regard, IRSST conducted a study on the mining industry on how knowledge could be transferred to
younger workers.

On the increase in the population of foreign-born workers, Ms Larue said that the main challenges were language
barriers and difference in the perception of risks in everyday life depending on where they originated from. For
example a foreign-born worker from a war-torn region would have a much higher tolerance of on-the-job risks.
Workers who come in to Canada to take on seasonal jobs were also an issue since they tend not to stay long enough
to be properly trained in OSH best practices.

On green jobs, Ms Larue shared that the main issue was with jobs retaining the same titles and job scope but with
new working conditions that existing workers may not be prepared for. For example, an electrician who now had
to install solar panels on roofs may not be properly trained to manage the potential risks of working at heights. On
challenges related to legislative and regulatory frameworks, Ms Larue said that over the last two decades, while the
proportion of annual fatalities due to work injuries fell from 78% to 38%, that due to occupational diseases rose from
22% to 62%, and there was now a pressing need to manage this.
9
Presentation IV:

New and Emerging OSH Risks

in Asia
by Mr Woon Cheng Peng,
Deputy Director (Knowledge Hub/ Planning & Development),
WSH Institute of Singapore

The guest speaker for the fourth presentation was Mr Woon Cheng Peng, Deputy Director (Knowledge Hub/
Planning & Development) of the WSH Institute of Singapore.

Mr Woon started off his presentation by talking about the WSH Institute. Under Singapores Workplace Safety and
Health Strategy 2018, the WSH Institute was tasked with establishing a link with global risk observatories, and
sharing research findings on new and emerging WSH hazards unique to Asia. When it comes to advancing WSH
in Singapore, the WSH Institute works hand in hand with the Occupational Safety and Health Division (OSHD) and
Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) but its specific role is that of a think tank that charts new grounds for
WSH excellence and innovation. Mr Woon then went on to talk about the 4D framework that OWL would adopt to
identify emerging risks in the WSH landscape. The framework is made up of:
1. Data collection (through surveys and focus groups etc.)
2. Data analysis (to discover new insights)
3. Dissemination (of information to stakeholders such as businesses)
4. Dialogue (platform for the relevant experts to interact)

Mr Woon reiterated the need to identify new and emerging WSH risks in Asia since 60% of the worlds population
lives there.

In this regard, the WSH Institute conducted two workshops in conjunction with the Asian Occupational Safety
and Health Research Institute (AOSHRI) and Organisation Resources Councillor, Health, Safety and Environment
(ORCHSE) respectively. The workshops brought together both researchers and senior WSH executives to gather
inputs for new and emerging OSH risks in Asia. The new and emerging risks identified are:
Ageing population/ageing workforce Technology
Globalisation/migrant workforce Work Stress
Environmental risks Economic considerations

Elaborating on migrant workforce, Mr Woon mentioned that there are some 30 million migrant workers in the Asia
Pacific and this is set to grow. These workers have different education levels which limit their bargaining powers, and
understanding of safety protocols. Many of them were also exposed to some of the safety risks for the very first time.

To conclude his presentation, Mr Woon spoke of Singapores desire to establish strong networks with Asian and
International OSH Institute partners to pool resources, tap on collective domain expertise and jointly develop
solutions that address these new risks.

10
Presentation V:

Natsteels Total WSH Journey

by Mr Vivek Madan Kamra,
President and CEO, Natsteel Holdings Pte Ltd, Singapore

The guest speaker for the fifth presentation was Mr Vivek Madan Kamra, President and CEO of Natsteel Holdings Pte
Ltd, Singapore.

At the start of his presentation, Mr Kamra gave an overview of Natsteel which as the market leader in Singapore for
construction steel and metal recycling, employs over 1,600 workers. In addition, Natsteel continues to expand its
footprint across Asia with production plants in China, Indonesia and Thailand etc. Mr Kamra then went on to talk
about Natsteels safety and health journey and how WSH is now an integral part of the business, discussed in the
same vein as other critical aspects such as financials and operations.

With the assistance of the WSH Institute and WSHC, Natsteel had embarked on its Total Workplace Safety and
Health (TWSH) Journey, from promoting just safety at the workplace to promoting both health and safety amongst its
workers. According to Mr Kamra, the journey started in April 2014 and was divided into three phases:
Phase 1: Analysis Phase
Phase 2: Action Planning Phase
Phase 3: Learning and Integration Phase

TWSH covers occupational health, safety, well-being and organisation factors. Mr Kamra shared the preliminary
findings and challenges from Natsteels Total WSH Journey and also provided recommendations to other companies
which were embarking on TWSH.

The preliminary findings showed that strong leadership support, establishing a multi-disciplinary team with access to
external medical support as well as good WSH engagement by employees are were important. As for the challenges
encountered, Mr Kamra shared that shifting from a focus on safety to Total WSH involved a change in mindset.
Health was a personal issue and it was up to the individual to decide whether to smoke or not. However, at the
workplace, the health of an individual could impact the safety or health of co-workers. Hence it was important to
strike the right balance between mandating and encouraging. Mr Kamra also had some recommendations arising
from Natsteels Total WSH journey: firstly, it would be good to have a multi-disciplinary team for Total WSH that
reported directly to the management; secondly, risk assessment should be enhanced to include personal lifestyle risk
factors; thirdly, to sustain Total WSH, effective communications and employee engagement were important.

11
Presentation VI:

BOHS Implementation and

Successes
by Prof. Dr. Harri Vainio,
Director General, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
(FIOH), Finland

The guest speaker for the last presentation was Prof. Dr. Harri Vainio, Director General of the Finnish Institute of
Occupational Health (FIOH).

Dr. Vainio began his presentation by sharing some statistics on the coverage of Occupational Health Services (similar
to TWSH) globally. The data collected showed that there was some form of OHS policy in place in 70% of the
countries worldwide; however, only some 10-15% of the global workforce had access to OHS coverage, and in about
40% of countries, the coverage exceeded 50%. This left about 2.7 billion people without any OHS, a huge problem
that needed to be addressed. Dr. Vainio shared on the stepwise development of OHS:
Stage 1: Starting Level
Stage 2: Basic Service
Stage 3: International Standard Service
Stage 4: Comprehensive Service.

Different stages would be applicable to companies of different sizes i.e. depending on whether the company is a
SME or big industrial player.

In the next segment of his presentation, Dr. Vainio spoke about OHS in his country, Finland. The provision of OHS
was mandated for every employee. The Finnish government reimburses the employer part of the costs of providing
coverage. The source of funding is from an insurance scheme that both employers (75%) and employees (25%)
contribute towards. Lastly, Dr. Vainio showed some statistics on the providers of OHS coverage in Finland as well as
the human resources involved.

Dr. Vainio then shared the findings of two case studies. The first where basic infrastructure was put in place to provide
OHS coverage for agricultural workers in rural areas was in Italy. The second case study was Macedonias experience
in making use of the BOHS approach to develop an OHS system which resulted in improved work conditions, regular
health surveillance, and better availability of OHS coverage.

In conclusion, Dr. Vainio reiterated that in order to promote OHS coverage at the grass roots level, some basic
infrastructure needed to be in place. There was no one-size-fits-all model for OHS coverage and adjustment(s) must
be made to suit the nation or locality. To adequately provide OHS coverage, the availability of personnel with the
relevant expertise was crucial. For effective OHS coverage, both preventive and curative actions were needed.

12
Panel Discussion
The panel discussion was moderated by Dr. Jukka Takala, Senior Consultant to the Ministry of Manpower and WSH
Institute of Singapore, and Dr. Lucy Leong, Deputy Director (Research and Solutions), WSH Institute of Singapore. A
total of six panellists were present.

Moderators: Panellists:

Dr. Jukka Takala
Senior Consultant to the
Ministry of Manpower and
WSH Institute, Singapore
Mr Eddie Morland
Chief Executive, Health
and Safety Laboratory
(HSL), United Kingdom
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Reinert Ms Marie Larue
Director, Institute for President-CEO, Institut de
Occupational Safety and recherche Robert-Sauv
Health (IFA), Germany en sant et en scurit du
travail (IRSST), Canada

Dr. Lucy Leong
Deputy Director
(Research and Solutions),
WSH Institute, Singapore
Mr Woon Cheng Peng Mr Vivek Madan Kamra Prof. Dr. Harri Vainio
Deputy Director President and CEO, Director General, Finnish
(Knowledge Hub/Planning Natsteel Holdings Pte Ltd, Institute of Occupational
& Development), Singapore Health (FIOH), Finland
WSH Institute, Singapore

13
Dr. Takala kicked off the discussion by directing a question to each panellist in turn.

Qn: Are we (referring to WSH organisations) sharing the information and knowledge that we have?
The question was directed at Mr Morland who was of the opinion that more can be done in the sharing of knowledge
especially since a lot of common research is being done in WSH institutes around the world.

Mr Woon added that language may also pose a barrier for the sharing of information between research institutes. He
then shared that at the meeting of Asian Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute (AOSHRI) prior to the
WSHI Forum, AOSHRI members agreed to publish, at a minimum, the abstract of future research reports in English to
facilitate the sharing of information.

Qn: Based on your experience in working with other research institutes in Europe, can you share some advice
on how various institutes can work together better?
Dr. Reinerts view was that the various institutions have a lot to learn from one another, and possible platforms include
conferences and working groups. It is also important to remember that not just Europe has the expertise, and having
an open mind makes it easier to pick up good ideas. A good example is that the idea of setting up a risk observatory
actually came from another European country and not Germany.

Qn: What are some of the things that can be done to allow the elderly to work till they are older?
Ms Larue said that one possible way is to better evaluate the risks that people are exposed to at work especially since
they would be exposed to these risks for a lengthier period of time now. There is also a need to look at a second and
even third career for certain individuals who are in jobs that do not allow them to work till they are older e.g. a ballet
dancer.

Mr Kamra added his perspectives from the point of view of a company. Natsteel is trying to make a difference from
the ground up by tracking the health of its workers so that potential problems can be identified and treated earlier.
This would enable the workers to work till they are older and also allow them to plan ahead so that they arent
handicapped by health issues.

Ms Larue agreed with Natsteels approach but also suggested that government policies be put in place to allow
greater mobility of workers so that there is a better job fit.

Dr. Leong added that maintaining health is a personal responsibility and what employers can do is to nudge and
partner workers towards better health.

Qn: Is there a difference between occupational and workers health?

Dr. Vainio noted that the World Health Organization (WHO) was engaged in the same debate before, and there
has been a consensus that the total health concept which includes both occupational and non-occupational health
is most relevant today. Under this concept, there are both factors at the workplace and outside the workplace that
affect a workers health and Dr. Vainio thinks that the workers health concept (in line with the total health concept) is
the preferred one.

14
Qn: Is it important to focus on the work-life aspect of WSH?
Mr Woon agreed that there is a need to also look at the work-life aspect when carrying out risk-scanning.

Dr. Leong shared some work-life initiatives that Natsteel has in place for its foreign workers. For example, Natsteels
management team visited the foreign workers dormitories to check that living conditions were up to standard; there
was also an on-site clinic at the workplace to reduce barriers to care. Looking beyond just work has improved the
bonds between the workers and the company. Dr. Leong also commended Natsteel on designating a senior human
resource personnel to coordinate initiatives under the Total WSH pilot project.

Following this, Dr. Takala invited questions from the audience.

Qn: What can we do to manage risk perception of migrant workers and workers in developing countries?
Ms Larue felt that there is a need to differentiate between migrant workers who become citizens or permanent
residents (PRs) and the rest who are solely in the country to work because citizens and PRs would receive language
and safety training which is definitely helpful.

On the other hand, the issue of temporary workers is more difficult to address since they only work in the country for
a short period each year e.g. Mexican agricultural workers. As such, it is not possible for them to learn the language.
Quebec is therefore looking at making it mandatory for employers to have people who speak the language of the
migrant workers at work and to conduct training. In terms of providing rehabilitation services, Ms Larue was frank in
saying that she has no idea how this could be done once the workers are back in their own countries.

Qn: (Directed to the panel) Please comment on the balance between health and safety in your own country.
Do you think that the balance is right?
In Mr Morlands opinion, the UK is an extreme example as on one hand it is performing very well in the safety aspect
and big strides have been made in construction and process safety. On the other hand, it is not doing so well in the
health aspect in which the use of asbestos has resulted in large number of cancer cases. The statistics painted the
same picture with 133 deaths from safety and about 12,000 deaths from occupational diseases. As such, the UK is
going to focus on health.

Dr. Reinhert shared that currently, 75% of the work done by the IFA was on the health aspect since accidents are
going down but diseases are going up and is a costly problem. The main challenge that the IFA face was to convince
employers to provide funding for more intensive programmes for workers health.

Dr. Vainio opined that health should not be measured solely in terms of diseases. Instead, the well-being at work
concept can be adopted and health can be measured based on the individuals motivation to work, willingness to
invest himself or herself in work, and how much the individual gets back from work. On the same note, safety should
not be measured in terms of accidents. To this end, a prevention culture is important and the nucleus of this culture is
values such as valuing every single life, and also how much the company is willing to invest in each individual.

15
Qn: There seems to be a decrease in investment in terms of providing postgraduate training for OHS
professionals. Does the panel feel that more needs to be done in this aspect, especially in Asia?
Mr Kamra felt that Asia is in an evolution phase in which there is a growing realisation of the value of an individuals
life, following this phase, investment in OHS from both government and industry would increase substantially in the
years to come.

When it comes to OHS, Mr Kamra felt that an impending challenge for the insurance industry is that it may become
more challenging to differentiate workers health and occupational health, and this would definitely impact insurance
claims.

Mr Morland shared that he was encouraged by the amount of work done at the HSL to translate research into
technical solutions, and also by the fact that they were working more directly for the industry. He was also heartened
by the increase in high calibre research staff who wants to make a difference on a national scale through excellent
research.

Qn: Could you elaborate on corporate memory which was brought up under the emerging risk of globalisation
earlier in your presentation?
Mr Morlands opinion was that industrial memory is short and hence there was a need to formalise the harvesting and
passing on of knowledge to a successor.

Qn: In light of the ageing workforce, the management of workers afflicted with chronic diseases such as mental
illness and high blood pressure etc. is an aspect that has to be looked at, does the panel have any comments
on this?
Ms Larue responded by saying that we can first look at adapting the job to fit the workers new needs, failing
which we can look at finding another job within the same company which is suitable for the worker. Should both
approaches fail, the government can then step in to help these workers change careers. Ms Larue opined that this is
a complex problem with many possible solutions.

To Dr. Vainio, the crux of this question was the concept of health, which to him was not just the absence of diseases.
There is a new school of thought, adopted by the WHO, that health is a dynamic concept and is the ability to
manage everyday life including work. Under this idea, people who are ailed by chronic diseases are still able to work
and handle things. In fact, many studies have shown that work is a positive influence on health since it keeps one
active, and helps maintain cognitive and other abilities.

Qn: What are some of the leading indicators in OHS?

Mr Woon was of the opinion that culture is a leading indicator while Mr Morland felt that exposure in terms of what
the individual is exposed to is another.

With that question, the panel discussion came to a close.

16
Closing Address

by Mr Lee Tzu Yang,

Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council

The closing address was delivered by Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council. Firstly,
Mr Lee thanked the WSH Institute for organising the forum, and the many distinguished international and local
experts for their support and time, in particular the six panellists who shared their views and experience on how risk
observatories are managed and how the integrated management of OSH can be implemented.

While the forum came to a close, the OWLs journey had just begun and he urged all present to provide their
feedback and comments freely to the WSH Institute and to leverage on OWL to work towards achieving the WSH
Vision of safer and healthier workplaces for all workers.

17
Annex A: Visual Recording of the proceedings during the Forum

18
19
Annex B: Programme Outline
Time Activity

13.00 Registration

14.00 Welcome Address

Dr. Gan Siok Lin, Executive Director, WSH Institute, Singapore

14.05 Opening Address

Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State (SMS), Ministry of Manpower and Ministry of Health, Singapore

14.10 Launch of Observatory for WSH Landscape (OWL)

Dr. Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State (SMS), Singapore,
Mr Khoo Chin Hean, Chairman of WSH Institute Governing Board, Singapore &
Dr. Gan Siok Lin, Executive Director, WSH Institute, Singapore

14.20 Session 1:
OSH Risks in Asia, Europe and Canada
Moderator: Dr. Jukka Takala, Senior Consultant, Ministry of Manpower and WSH Institute, Singapore

14.25 HSL: Observing the Future with an Eye on the Past

Mr Eddie Morland, Chief Executive, Health and Safety Laboratory (HSL), United Kingdom

14.40
German Risk Observatory: Follow-up from an EU Initiative
Prof. Dr. Dietmar Reinert, Director, Deutsche Gesetzliche Unfallversicherung (DGUV), Germany

14.55 Emerging Issues and Trends in the Work Environment: The Impact and Challenges on OHS
Research
Ms Marie Larue, President-CEO,
Institut de recherche Robert-Sauv en sant et en scurit du travail (IRSST), Canada

15.10 New and Emerging OSH Risks in Asia

Mr Woon Cheng Peng, Deputy Director (Knowledge Hub/ Planning & Development),
WSH Institute, Singapore

15.25 Tea Break

15.55 Session 2:
Holistic Integrated Management of Occupational Safety and Health
Moderator: Dr. Lucy Leong, Deputy Director (Research & Solutions), WSH Institute, Singapore

16.00 Natsteels Total WSH Journey

Mr Vivek Madan Kamra, President and Chief Executive Officer, NatSteel Holdings Pte Ltd, Singapore

16.15 Basic Occupational Health Services (BOHS) - Implementation Challenges and Successes
Prof. Dr. Harri Vainio, Director General, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health (FIOH), Finland

16.30 Panel Discussion

Dr. Jukka Takala, Senior Consultant, Ministry of Manpower and WSH Institute, Singapore &
Dr. Lucy Leong, Deputy Director (Research & Solutions), WSH Institute, Singapore

17.20 Closing Speech

Mr Lee Tzu Yang, Chairman of Workplace Safety and Health Council

17.25 Presentation of Tokens of Appreciation

Er. Ho Siong Hin, Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore

17.30 End of Event

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