CMNT_TITLE

Protection against Accidents (Dockers) Convention (Revised), 1932 (No. 32) - Singapore (RATIFICATION: 1965)

Other comments on C032

Observation

1988

Direct Request

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Article 17(2) of the Convention and Part V of the report form. Application in practice. In its previous comment, the Committee requested an explanation on the reported drop in inspections in ports and penalties imposed, between 1995 and 2011. The Committee notes the clarification provided by the Government on the apparent drop in inspections in ports and sanctions imposed between 1995 and 2011, notably that the numbers of inspections cited in the reports of 1996 and 2012 included complementary inspections carried out by different government agencies. The Government adds that the safety and health legislative framework in place under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act encourages safety and health ownership at all levels. WHS inspectors undertake inspections in relation to the WSH Act. These actions include the analysis of statistics to identify problem areas and hotspots, before designing the interventions. Such an approach may result in fluctuations in inspection numbers in different years. Lastly, the Government indicates that there have been significant improvements in the safety and health records in ports in the past ten years, due to the focus on engagement in workplace safety and health issues. In this regard, the Workplace Safety and Health Council (WSHC) has a Logistics and Transport Committee, comprising of sector leaders, to address specific challenges in ports. The WSHC sets standards and provides resources such as guidelines, case studies, videos and posters, and encourages good practices through capability programmes and awards. The Committee requests the Government to continue providing detailed information on the manner in which the Convention is applied, including any relevant measures from the WSHC in relation to the protection of dockworkers against accidents, relevant reports from the inspection services and details on the number of inspections carried out, the number of violations detected and the nature and causes of accidents recorded.

Prospects for the ratification of the most up-to-date Convention. The Committee encourages the Government to review the decision adopted by the Governing Body at its 328th Session (October–November 2016) approving the recommendations of the Standards Review Mechanism Tripartite Working Group, and to consider ratifying the Occupational Safety and Health (Dock Work) Convention, 1979 (No. 152), which is the most up-to-date instrument in this subject area. The Committee requests the Government to provide information on any measures taken in this regard.