21 workplace deaths in first half of 2026; four involved platform workers

Four platform workers who died in traffic accidents were among the 21 workplace fatalities in the first half of 2026.

Published Sep 08, 2026, 12:00 PM

Updated Sep 08, 2026, 12:00 PM

Workplace deaths in Singapore rose to 21 in the first half of 2026, with platform workers' fatalities doubling to four, making platform work a high-risk industry alongside construction.

Vehicular incidents caused the most deaths, prompting the Ministry of Manpower to enhance safety measures and review enforcement and the bizSAFE programme.

Major injuries decreased slightly, but minor injuries and occupational diseases increased, with slips, trips, falls, and noise-induced hearing loss being the top causes.

SINGAPORE - More people died due to injuries sustained at work in the first half of 2026, partly due to a rise in platform workers who lost their lives on the roads.

Four platform workers were among 21 workplace deaths between January and June, compared with two among 18 fatalities in the same period in 2025.

Platform work is now the industry with the second-highest number of deaths, tied with construction, surpassing other traditional high-risk industries such as the manufacturing and marine sectors.

The number of major injuries decreased in the first half of 2026. These are severe non-fatal injuries such as amputations and paralysis.

There were 314 major injuries across all industries , down from 335 in the same period in 2025.

These statistics were released on Sept 8 in a mid-year Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) report by the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Vehicular incidents claimed nine lives and was the leading cause of the 21 recorded fatalities. Other top causes were drowning or suffocation, which caused five deaths - including those of three crew members in a supply boat collision with a landing craft off Pasir Panjang Terminal in June.

The transportation and storage industry had the highest number of deaths, at five fatalities.

Singapore’s workplace fatality rate in the first half of 2026 rose to 1.1 death per 100,000 workers, up from 0.97 in the same period in 2025. The Republic’s target is to keep the rate below one death per 100,000 workers by 2028.

Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash called the rise in fatal injuries, particularly from vehicular incidents, “a serious concern”, and said t he authoritie s are taking action to address it.

With the support of the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST) - formed in 2022 to improve workplace safety and health in higher-risk sectors - MOM had stepped up workplace safety measures in June, after seven workers lost their lives in four weeks .

These measures included enhanced penalties and a two-week safety time-out, which helped prevent more fatalities, said MOM.

The ministry is reviewing further measures, including tougher deterrence through enforcement, and a review of the bizSAFE programme to better reflect how companies fare in workplace safety and health.

Higher risks of platform work

Platform workers such as delivery riders were first included in official workplace injury and death statistics in 2025, after a new law provided them with workplace safety and health-related protection.

Such work faces significantly higher risks than other sectors. Their annualised death and injury rate is 92.1 per 100,000 workers, compared to 24.1 in the construction industry and 28.4 in the manufacturing sector.

Most platform workers have to contend with worsening road conditions. The number of road traffic accidents and casualties rose over the past three years, according to mid-year Traffic Police (TP) statistics released in August.

About 86 per cent of platform workers with fatal or major injuries in the first half of 2026 had met with a vehicular incident.

In July, MAST expanded to include the Ministry of Home Affairs and TP, to strengthen efforts in tackling vehicular and traffic risks at workplaces.

A platform worker safety workgroup, formed in March, is also studying measures including training, support for safer driving and riding behaviours, safety technology, and data collection and analysis. It will conclude its work by end-2026.

Meanwhile, some delivery riders have joined a new safety programme launched in August , designed specifically for the demands of their work - such as riding with loaded delivery bags.

The Advanced Riding Development Programme: Urban Rider Safety Course, jointly developed by GrabAcademy, Grab’s learning and development arm, and the Riding Safety Association of Singapore, is open to riders from all platforms.

Drop in major injuries

But the general picture of Singapore’s workplace safety and health has “broadly remained stable”, said MOM, pointing to fewer major injuries.

The construction and manufacturing sectors recorded the highest number of major injuries, at 65 and 61 incidents respectively. Platform work came in third with 40 major injuries.

The most common cause of major injuries are slips, trips and falls, followed by vehicular incidents, machinery incidents and falls from height.

The construction sector saw improvements as its fatal and major injury rate fell to the lowest since 2020.

Smaller-scale construction works accounted for 70 per cent of the sector’s injuries and fatalities. MOM said it is reviewing measures to strengthen deterrence and accountability among such contractors.

In the manufacturing sector, injuries and deaths in metalworking rose 56 per cent while such incidents in food and beverages manufacturing fell 32 per cent.

MOM said it will maintain a higher inspection frequency for the metalworking industry, focusing on addressing machinery safety and mitigating slip, trip and fall risks.

Minor injuries and occupational diseases

Minor injuries, which refer to non-severe injuries where the worker takes medical leave or is put on light duties, rose from 10,826 in the first half of 2025 to 11,782 in the same period in 2026.

Slips, trips and falls, over-exertion or strenuous movements, or machinery incidents, were the top three leading causes of minor injuries in the first half of 2026.

The number of dangerous occurrences reported to MOM fell to its lowest since 2010, with three in the first half of 2026 compared with 14 in the same period in 2025. Such occurrences refer to incidents with potentially serious consequences, such as a crane collapse or explosion.

Occupational diseases rose to 620 cases between January and June, compared with 485 in the same period in 2025.

Fifty-seven per cent of the 2026 cases were noise-induced hearing loss, followed by work-related musculoskeletal disorders at 23 per cent, and occupational skin diseases at 11 per cent.

MOM attributed the increase to an expansion of the types of occupational diseases covered under revised manpower laws, and an enhanced workplace health surveillance programme raising awareness among doctors and employers about reporting such diseases.

Christine Tan is a correspondent at The Straits Times reporting on social affairs and issues of justice in Singapore.

Ministry of Manpower

Workplace safety and health

Accidents - workplace

Food delivery services

2026 年上半年，共有 21 起工作场所死亡事故，其中 4 名平台工人死于交通事故。

发布于 2026 年 9 月 8 日下午 12:00

更新于2026年9月8日中午12:00

2026 年上半年，新加坡工作场所死亡人数上升至 21 人，平台工人死亡人数翻了一番，达到 4 人，使得平台作业与建筑业一样成为高风险行业。

车辆事故造成的死亡人数最多，促使人力部加强安全措施，审查执法情况和bizSAFE计划。

重大伤害略有减少，但轻微伤害和职业病有所增加，其中滑倒、绊倒、跌倒和噪声引起的听力损失是主要原因。

新加坡——2026 年上半年，因工伤死亡的人数有所增加，部分原因是平台工人因道路交通事故丧生。

今年 1 月至 6 月，共有 21 起工作场所死亡事故，其中 4 起涉及平台工人；而 2025 年同期，共有 18 起工作场所死亡事故，其中 2 起涉及平台工人。

平台作业目前是死亡​​人数第二高的行业，与建筑业并列，超过了制造业和海事部门等其他传统高风险行业。

2026 年上半年重大伤亡人数有所下降。这些重大伤亡是指截肢、瘫痪等严重的非致命性伤害。

各行业共发生314起重大工伤事故，低于2025年同期发生的335起。

这些统计数据是人力部 (MOM) 于 9 月 8 日发布的年中工作场所安全与健康 (WSH) 报告中公布的。

车辆事故造成9人死亡，是21起死亡事件中的主要原因。其他主要死因包括溺水或窒息，共造成5人死亡，其中包括6月份在巴西班让码头附近一艘补给船与一艘登陆艇相撞事故中丧生的3名船员。

运输和仓储行业的死亡人数最多，共有五人死亡。

新加坡2026年上半年的工作场所死亡率上升至每10万名工人1.1人，高于2025年同期的0.97人。新加坡的目标是到2028年将该比率控制在每10万名工人1人以下。

人力部国务部长迪内什·瓦苏·达什称致命伤亡人数上升，特别是车辆事故造成的伤亡人数上升，“令人严重关切”，并表示当局正在采取行动解决这个问题。

在多机构工作场所安全与健康工作组（MAST）的支持下——该工作组成立于 2022 年，旨在改善高风险行业的工作场所安全与健康——人力部在 6 月份加强了工作场所安全措施，此前四周内有 7 名工人丧生。

人力部表示，这些措施包括加大处罚力度和实施为期两周的安全停工，这有助于防止更多人员死亡。

该部门正在审查进一步的措施，包括通过执法加强威慑，以及审查 bizSAFE 计划，以更好地反映公司在工作场所安全和健康方面的表现。

平台工作风险较高

2025 年，一项新法律为平台工作者（如外卖骑手）提供了工作场所安全和健康方面的保护，平台工作者才首次被纳入官方的工作场所伤亡统计数据。

这类工作面临的风险远高于其他行业。其年均死亡和受伤率为每10万名工人92.1人，而建筑业为24.1人，制造业为28.4人。

大多数平台工作者都不得不应对日益恶化的道路状况。根据交通警察8月份发布的中期统计数据，过去三年道路交通事故和伤亡人数均有所上升。

2026 年上半年，约 86% 的平台工人因交通事故导致死亡或重伤。

7 月，MAST 扩大了范围，纳入了内政部和交通部，以加强在工作场所应对车辆和交通风险方面的努力。

今年3月成立的平台工人安全工作组也在研究相关措施，包括培训、支持更安全的驾驶和骑行行为、安全技术以及数据收集和分析。该工作组将于2026年底完成其工作。

与此同时，一些送货骑手加入了8月份推出的一项新的安全计划，该计划专门针对他们的工作需求而设计，例如携带装满货物的送货袋骑行。

由 Grab 的学习与发展部门 GrabAcademy 和新加坡骑行安全协会联合开发的“高级骑行发展计划：城市骑行安全课程”面向所有平台的骑手开放。

重大伤病数量下降

但人力部表示，新加坡工作场所安全和健康的整体情况“基本保持稳定”，并指出重大工伤事故有所减少。

建筑业和制造业的重伤事故数量最多，分别为65起和61起。高空作业平台事故数量位居第三，共有40起重伤事故。

造成重大伤害的最常见原因是滑倒、绊倒和跌倒，其次是车辆事故、机械事故和高处坠落。

建筑业的情况有所改善，其致命和重伤事故率降至 2020 年以来的最低水平。

小型建筑工程占该行业伤亡事故的70%。人力部表示，正在审查相关措施，以加强对这类承包商的威慑和问责。

在制造业领域，金属加工行业的伤亡人数上升了 56%，而食品和饮料制造业的此类事故则下降了 32%。

人力部表示，将继续保持对金属加工行业的较高检查频率，重点关注机械安全问题，并降低滑倒、绊倒和跌倒的风险。

轻微工伤和职业病

轻微工伤（指工人因非严重工伤而请病假或从事轻体力劳动）从 2025 年上半年的 10,826 起增加到 2026 年同期的 11,782 起。

2026 年上半年，滑倒、绊倒、跌倒、过度劳累或剧烈运动、以及机械事故是造成轻微伤害的三大主要原因。

向人力部报告的危险事件数量降至 2010 年以来的最低水平，2026 年上半年共发生 3 起，而 2025 年同期为 14 起。此类事件指的是可能造成严重后果的事故，例如起重机倒塌或爆炸。

1 月至 6 月期间，职业病病例增至 620 例，而 2025 年同期为 485 例。

在 2026 例病例中，57% 为噪声引起的听力损失，23% 为与工作相关的肌肉骨骼疾病，11% 为职业性皮肤病。

人力部将病例增加归因于修订后的人力法扩大了职业病的覆盖范围，以及加强了工作场所健康监测计划，提高了医生和雇主对报告此类疾病的认识。

克里斯汀·谭是《海峡时报》的记者，报道新加坡的社会事务和司法问题。

人力部

工作场所安全与健康

工作场所事故

食品配送服务