Half-year workplace fatalities in Singapore 2025
Seventeen people died from injuries sustained at work in the first half of 2025, a slight decrease from 19 in the same period of 2024. Like in 2024, vehicular incidents were the leading cause of death, accounting for nine fatalities in the first six months of 2025, compared with 11 in the entire previous year. Falls from height and being struck by moving objects were also among the top causes cited by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
The combined weight of risk across the construction and transportation and storage sectors drove much of the fatality tally, which MOM reported accounted for 65 per cent of workplace deaths in the first half of 2025. Construction recorded seven fatalities—up from five in H1 2024 and down from 15 in the second half of 2024—while the transportation and storage sector reported four deaths in the same period. Retail and wholesale trade logged two deaths, up from one in all of 2024, and two deaths were recorded in administrative and support services, which had no fatalities in 2024.
MOM also noted Singapore’s workplace fatality rate for the first half of 2025 stood at 0.92 per 100,000 workers, a decline from 1.0 in H1 2024 and 1.2 in the second half of 2024. The government maintains a target to keep the rate below one death per 100,000 workers by 2028.
Major injuries and daily risk patterns
Around 286 major injuries were recorded in the first six months of 2025, down from 304 in the same period of 2024. Major injuries, which include amputations, blindness and paralysis, show a continuing downward trend and translated to a rate of 15.5 injuries per 100,000 workers in the period. The top three causes of major injuries were slips, trips and falls (39 per cent); falls from height (12 per cent); and machinery incidents (10 per cent)—together making up 61 per cent of all major injuries in H1 2025.
Construction and manufacturing were the largest contributors to major injuries, collectively responsible for 124 injuries (about 43 per cent) in the first half of 2025. On the manufacturing side, the first half of 2025 saw 55 major injuries and no deaths, improving on 2024’s figures of 63 major injuries and two deaths. Within manufacturing, metalworking injuries and fatalities dropped—from 24 incidents in H1 2024 to 17 in H1 2025—attributed in part to the 2023 demerit point system and additional safety requirements rolled out in January 2025 to better protect workers handling higher-risk machinery and combustible dust.
The construction industry also showed improvement, particularly at larger worksites, with fatal and major injuries decreasing from 81 to 76 between the first halves of 2024 and 2025. MOM linked these gains to ongoing safety efforts, including a voluntary safety timeout called in November 2024 after10 construction workers died on the job from July to October that year.
Minor injuries and dangerous occurrences
There were 10,112 minor injuries in H1 2025, a 3 per cent drop from 10,446 in H1 2024. About half of these minor injuries stemmed from slips, trips and falls, machinery incidents, and being struck by moving objects. Health and social services, manufacturing, and accommodation and food services sectors accounted for 48 per cent of minor injuries.
There were 14 dangerous occurrences in the first half of 2025, just below the 13 reported in the same period of 2024. The most common dangerous occurrence remained fires and explosions (nine cases), linked to explosive or flammable materials used in construction and manufacturing. There were also five cases involving the collapse or breakdown of structures or equipment.
Occupational diseases and health surveillance
Between January and June 2025, 465 occupational disease cases were reported, slightly lower than 468 in H1 2024 but higher than the 431 in the second half of 2024. Roughly 60 per cent were noise-induced deafness, followed by work-related musculoskeletal disorders (26 per cent) and occupational skin diseases (10 per cent). The figures reflect heightened reporting under an enhanced workplace health surveillance programme that has raised awareness among doctors and employers.
On Sept 30, MOM announced plans to update the list of occupational diseases under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and the Work Injury Compensation Act from Dec 1, 2025. The forthcoming revision will increase the total covered diseases to 38, broaden recognition of work-related musculoskeletal disorders beyond upper limbs, and extend coverage for occupational infectious diseases in laboratories, research facilities and healthcare settings.
Inspections, enforcement and what it means for workplaces
MOM and its partners conducted more than 3,000 inspections across industries in the first half of 2025, targeting vehicular safety, slips and falls, machinery safety, and working at height. Authorities detected nearly 7,000 breaches, with errant companies facing more than S$1.5 million in composition fines. Twenty-eight stop-work orders were issued during the period as enforcement actions stepped up in response to ongoing safety concerns.
What this means for workers and employers
The H1 2025 data underline a persistent risk profile in Singapore’s workplaces, with vehicular incidents and falls continuing to drive fatalities and injuries. The continued improvements in major injuries and fatalities in some sectors suggest that safety reforms, rigorous inspections, and targeted controls can yield tangible results. Employers are encouraged to reinforce safe work practices, ensure proper training for high-risk activities, and support workers’ reporting of hazards and near-misses to sustain momentum toward the national safety targets.
