Singapore industry associations to get up to S$55,000 to prepare staff for terror attacks

INDUSTRY associations in five priority sectors are set to receive between S$25,000 and S$55,000 in funding for the first year to develop risk management capabilities under the bizSAFE programme, with the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) aiming to get at least 3,000 companies to be SGSecure-ready by 2020.

Second Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo announced this at the bizSAFE Convention at Max Atria@Singapore Expo on Wednesday.

The SGSecure@Workplaces programme was announced in September 2017 and will see partners from the food and beverage, retail, entertainment, hotel and transport industries use the funds to train and prepare their staff in the event of a terror attack.

They will also be able to undertake SGSecure simulation exercises and join seminars.

The MOM expects to formalise the funding arrangement with its partners within the first half of 2018.

Said Ms Teo: "I am pleased to share that in the short few months since the launch in September last year, about 2,100 companies have come onboard the new enhanced bizSAFE programme."

Ms Teo also announced at the convention, that 42 workers sustained fatal injuries while at work in 2017, which corresponds to a rate of 1.2 per 100,000 employed persons; the lowest level since 2004.

Ms Teo noted that the numbers have improved from when the bizSAFE programme was first launched in 2007 (2.9 per 100,000 employed persons).

bizSAFE is a five-step programme that assists companies to build up their workplace safety and health capabilities to improve in safety and health standards at the workplace.