Overview: 17 workplace deaths in the first half of 2025
Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) reported 17 deaths from injuries sustained at work in the first six months of 2025, a slight decrease from 19 in the same period of 2024. As in 2024, vehicular incidents remained the leading cause of workplace fatalities, with nine deaths in 1H 2025, compared with 11 in the entire previous year. Falls from height and being struck by moving objects were also among the top causes, highlighting persistent risks across industries.
Which sectors bore the heaviest burden?
Industry data show that construction and transportation and storage together accounted for 65% of workplace deaths in the first half of 2025. The construction sector recorded seven fatalities—up from five in 1H 2024 but down from 15 in the second half of 2024. Transportation and storage accounted for four deaths in 1H 2025, versus one in 1H 2024 and eight in the second half of 2024. The wholesale & retail trade (two deaths) and administrative & support services (two deaths) also reported fatalities, while these figures were lower in 2024 for the corresponding periods in many cases.
Mortality rate and safety milestones
MOM noted Singapore’s workplace fatality rate for the first half of 2025 stood at 0.92 death per 100,000 workers, down from 1.0 in 1H 2024 and 1.2 in the second half of 2024. The government reiterates its target to keep the rate below one death per 100,000 workers by 2028, signaling ongoing emphasis on preventive measures and stricter enforcement where necessary.
Major injuries: a record low trend continues
Around 286 major injuries were reported in 1H 2025, down from 304 in 1H 2024, keeping the major injury rate at an all-time low of 15.5 per 100,000 workers. The leading causes of these severe injuries were slips, trips and falls (39%), falls from height (12%), and machinery incidents (10%), which together accounted for 61% of major injuries. The construction and manufacturing sectors were major contributors, with 124 major injuries (43% of the total). Notably, the manufacturing sector saw a reduction in major injuries in 1H 2025, dropping from 55 to zero deaths and a lower injury tally compared with 1H 2024, underscoring improvements alongside policy changes like the demerit point system introduced in 2023 and stricter safety requirements in January 2025 for higher-risk machinery and combustible dust handling.
Construction gains and ongoing vigilance
Improvements in construction safety were evident, especially on larger-scale worksites. Fatal and major injuries declined from 81 to 76 between 1H 2024 and 1H 2025. MOM has credited the voluntary safety timeout in November 2024, prompted after ten construction fatalities from July to October 2024, with contributing to the current downward trend.
Minor injuries and dangerous occurrences
Minor injuries—non-fatal incidents with medical leave or light duties—numbered 10,112 in 1H 2025, a 3% decline from 10,446 in 1H 2024. About half of these injuries stemmed from slips, trips and falls, machinery incidents, or being struck by moving objects. Health and social services, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services sectors together accounted for 48% of minor injuries. MOM recorded 14 dangerous occurrences in 1H 2025, slightly above or below the 13 in 1H 2024; fires, explosions, and structural or equipment failures were among the dominant risks, underscoring the ongoing need for vigilant safety protocols across high-risk settings.
Occupational diseases and the regulatory horizon
There were 465 occupational-disease cases between January and June 2025, marginally down from 468 in the same period of 2024 but higher than the 431 in the second half of that year. Noise-induced deafness accounted for about 60% of cases, followed by work-related musculoskeletal disorders (26%) and occupational skin diseases (10%). The health surveillance program’s heightened reporting is a key reason for the higher visibility of these conditions. MOM plans to update the lists of occupational diseases under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and the Work Injury Compensation Act from December 1, 2025, expanding coverage to all work-related musculoskeletal disorders and broadening recognition of occupational infectious diseases in high-risk environments such as laboratories, healthcare facilities, and research centers.
Inspections, enforcement, and the road ahead
During the period, MOM conducted more than 3,000 inspections across industries, detecting nearly 7,000 breaches. Enforcement actions included composition fines exceeding S$1.5 million and 28 stop-work orders, signaling a continued emphasis on proactive compliance. As the year progresses, MOM’s focus will likely intensify on vehicular safety, working at height, and machinery safety, reinforcing the message that prevention is the most effective safeguard for workers.
What this means for workers and employers
These mid-year figures reaffirm that while progress has been made, workplace safety remains a shared responsibility. Employers should maintain risk assessments, reinforce near-miss reporting, and invest in targeted training for high-risk tasks, particularly in construction and transport-related operations. Workers must stay vigilant, use protective equipment, and report hazards promptly. The overarching goal remains clear: reduce fatalities and major injuries while sustaining Singapore’s trajectory toward safer workplaces by 2028 and beyond.
