Speech by Mr Tan Swee Yiow at the Design for Safety Implementation Focus Group Discussion

05 Jun 2025 Speeches

Speech by Mr Tan Swee Yiow, Chairman,
WSH Council (Construction and Landscape) Committee at the Design for Safety Implementation Focus Group Discussion on 5 June 2025

 

Introduction
1. Good morning friends and fellow partners in the industry, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to be here. 

2. Today, we will be looking at an important topic that has transformed the way we approach workplace safety in the construction industry. That is Design for Safety, DfS in short. 

Address WSH through DfS
3. The law has been in force for over 9 years, it is timely that we do a review now. The principle behind DfS is to identify and design out Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) hazards upstream, so that we can eliminate or minimise any costly and time-consuming rectification works later downstream throughout the building lifecycle – from its construction to maintenance and subsequently demolition. 

4. Through the DfS review process, foreseeable hazards can be proactively addressed by incorporating appropriate design improvements.

Past DfS efforts
5. Since the enactment of the WSH (Design for Safety) Regulations which came into effect in 2016, the WSH Council and Ministry of Manpower (MOM) have worked with industry stakeholders to support the DfS legislation and initiatives. Let me share with you what we have done:

  • We developed the DfS Guidelines, video and infographics to guide industry stakeholders in their roles and responsibilities.
  • We introduce structured DfS review processes so that risks could be identified early in the project and measures established to mitigate or eliminate them.
  • We worked with industry partners to establish training courses to ensure a pool of qualified DfS Professionals is available to lead the DfS Review, and ensure the DfS principles are adhered to and aligned with the regulations. Our regulators have also been engaging the ground, providing compliance guidance and clarification of duties for the different stakeholder groups.

Enhancing DfS Implementation
6. However, more can be done as we seek better WSH performance and outcomes. Feedback from the industry has provided us valuable insights into the varying expectations of different stakeholders in the DfS process. 

7. This highlighted the opportunities to further clarify the roles and responsibilities of DfS Professionals and to enhance the integration of DfS with other regulatory processes, paving the way for greater alignment and collaboration across the industry.

8. Hence, the objective for today’s session is how we can implement DfS more effectively, and how we can enhance collaboration. 

9. We are privileged to have many subject matter experts with us today. Let us all put our minds together to share insights and explore practical solutions. At the end of the day, I hope we able to get constructive ideas and solutions.

10. The ideas and solutions from today’s session will be looked into by an industry-led workgroup formed by the WSH Council. I am excited to see the discussions and ideas that will emerge from today's session and wish everyone a fruitful session ahead. 

Thank you.