Expanding Types of Cases to be Reported for Workplace Accidents

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower whether the requirement for reporting work-related or workplace accidents can also include cases where an employee who meets with an accident is placed on light duty by the doctor for more than three days, whether consecutive or not.

Mr Speaker, today, reporting is required for all work injuries resulting in medical leave of more than three days, consecutive or otherwise, or hospitalisation for at least 24 hours. This is in line with the reporting criteria in other developed countries, such as those in the European Union.

We are studying the possibility of making it a requirement to report all work injuries resulting in any instance of light duty or medical leave. This has been included in the public consultation on amendments to the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA) which was launched just this year in January. It will allow us to have a more comprehensive picture of the extent of work injuries and will help improve the targeting of prevention efforts. We will share more details when the proposed amendments to WICA are finalised this coming April.

Sir, I thank the Minister of State for the reply. Can I just confirm that we are having a list of specified injuring similar to what the UK has, which is that regardless of the number of medical certificates (MCs) or number of days of light duty, mandatory reporting is required?

The second clarification is whether we can follow what we do for occupational diseases where it is the doctor that reports the occupational diseases rather than the employers, that is, whether the doctors will in the future do reporting for work-related accidents rather than the employers?

At this moment, what I can commit is that we are looking at all forms of injuries that result in light duty medical leave. Specific to the list in the UK, I cannot confirm right now. But may I suggest that the Member submits another Parliamentary Question so that we can make a comparison. I have not done a comparison for this particular Parliamentary Question but, generally, all work injuries that result in light duty medical leave will be covered in the new WICA, subject to some of the consultation exercises that we are having.

The second question was with regard to the practice with doctors. That is to be further studied. Let us take it up with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to study this.