Singapore reports 17 workplace deaths in the first half of 2025
Singapore recorded 17 fatalities from workplace injuries in the first six months of 2025, a slight drop from 19 in the same period of 2024. Vehicular incidents continued to be the leading cause of death, with nine fatalities in the first half of 2025, compared with 11 in all of 2024. Falls from height and being struck by moving objects were the next major causes, according to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
Top causes and sector breakdown
Industry data show that the construction and transportation/storage sectors together accounted for about 65% of all workplace deaths in the first half of 2025. The construction sector registered seven fatalities, up from five in the first half of 2024 but down from 15 in the second half of 2024. Four deaths occurred in the transportation and storage sector in H1 2025 (one in H1 2024; eight in H2 2024). The wholesale and retail trade sector reported two deaths in H1 2025, up from one in the entire 2024 year, while the administrative and support services sector recorded two deaths (no fatalities in 2024).
Major injuries and safety trends
Major injuries — severe non-fatal injuries such as amputations or paralysis — numbered 286 in the first half of 2025, down from 304 in the same period of 2024. The major-injury rate fell to a record low of 15.5 injuries per 100,000 workers. Slips, trips and falls accounted for 39% of major injuries, followed by falls from height at 12% and machinery incidents at 10%, together representing 61% of all major injuries. The construction and manufacturing sectors were the major contributors, accounting for 124 injuries (43%) in H1 2025. Manufacturing saw notable improvements, with 55 major injuries and no deaths in H1 2025, compared with 63 major injuries and two deaths in H1 2024.
Within manufacturing, metalworking injuries dropped from 24 in H1 2024 to 17 in H1 2025, a trend MOM partly attributes to the 2023 demerit-point system and new safety requirements introduced in January 2025 to protect workers handling high-risk machinery and combustible dust.
Construction safety gains and ongoing vigilance
Construction overall showed improvements in fatal and major injuries, falling from 81 to 76 between H1 2024 and H1 2025. MOM attributed part of this progress to a voluntary safety timeout called in November 2024 after 10 construction worker deaths from July to October that year, with safer practices extending to larger worksites and major projects in 2025.
Minor injuries and dangerous occurrences
Minor injuries — non-severe injuries requiring medical leave or light duties — totaled 10,112 in the first half of 2025, a 3% decrease from 10,446 in H1 2024. About half of these 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 accounted for about 48% of minor injuries. There were 14 dangerous occurrences in H1 2025 (slightly above or below the 13 in H1 2024), with fires and explosions the most common at nine cases and five cases involving the collapse or breakdown of structures or equipment.
Occupational diseases and inspections
From January to June 2025, MOM recorded 465 occupational-disease cases, slightly down from 468 in H1 2024 but higher than 431 in H2 2024. Sixty percent were noise-induced deafness, followed by work-related musculoskeletal disorders (26%) and occupational skin diseases (10%). The ministry plans to update the list of occupational diseases under the Workplace Safety and Health Act and the Work Injury Compensation Act from December 1, 2025, expanding coverage to 38 diseases and broadening recognition of musculoskeletal disorders beyond the upper limbs. MOM also conducted more than 3,000 inspections in H1 2025, detecting nearly 7,000 breaches, issuing composition fines of over S$1.5 million, and 28 stop-work orders.
What this means for workers and employers
Experts say the early-2025 figures reflect a continuing shift toward better safety culture and enforcement, even as fatal incidents persist in high-risk sectors like construction and transport. MOM’s data highlight the need for ongoing training, rigorous enforcement, and proactive risk assessment — especially around vehicular movement, work at height and machinery safety. The planned updates to the occupational-disease lists aim to strengthen protections for workers in healthcare, laboratories and other high-risk environments.
Awarded goals for 2028 and beyond
MOM reiterates its target to keep the workplace fatality rate below one death per 100,000 workers by 2028. The watchdog will maintain inspections, targeted safety campaigns, and support for safety timetables and high-risk-control measures as Singapore advances through 2025 and beyond.
