42 organisations have been recognised by the Land Transport Authority (LTA) for their outstanding workplace safety, health and environmental management practices at the 25th Annual Safety, Health and Environmental Awards Convention (ASAC).
2 Held today at the Singapore EXPO and graced by Acting Minister for Transport Mr Chee Hong Tat, the theme of this year’s ASAC is “Transforming Workforce for SHE Excellence”. The event reinforces LTA’s emphasis to achieve better workplace safety and health (WSH) performance in the workforce amid the backdrop of continued manpower challenges and the resumption of construction activities.
3 Santarli Construction Pte Ltd – Zheng Keng Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd Joint Venture was presented with the top award, the LTA Contractors Champion Shield, for its exemplary WSH performance for the design and construction of Sengkang West Bus Depot. Please refer to ANNEX A for the full list of 2023 winners across 17 award categories.
New award to recognise efforts to maintain a safe and clean work environment
4 A new award category – Good Housekeeping Award – was introduced this year to recognise the exemplary efforts of contractors in maintaining good housekeeping at worksites to ensure an orderly, clean and safe working environment. This helps prevent accidents at the worksite and eliminate pest breeding spots.
5 Santarli Construction Pte Ltd – Zheng Keng Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd Joint Venture was awarded the inaugural Good Housekeeping Award in recognition of their efforts for the construction of the multi-storey bus depot at Sengkang West. They were lauded for effectively implementing the 5S[1] method for achieving clean and organised workspaces, as well as for instilling ownership and accountability on supervisors and workers to keep their designated areas tidy, clean and neat. Please refer to ANNEX B for photos of the worksite.
Continued focus on environmental management initiatives
6 LTA’s efforts to promote sustainability and encourage good environmental management practices saw Eng Lam Contractors Co. Pte Ltd and Samwoh Corporation Pte Ltd being awarded the Environmental Sustainability Innovation Award for their use of innovative solutions to automate, monitor and remotely control silty water treatment plants.
7 Eng Lam Contractors was recognised for their Automated Silty Discharge Control System, which diverts silty water back into the sedimentation pond when the water quality exceeds permissible limits, so that it is not accidentally discharged into public drains. Please refer to ANNEX C for a diagram of the system. Samwoh Corporation also introduced an accompanying smart phone application to monitor the status of their equipment (e.g. pump, generator and chemical levels) and allow users to control the silty water treatment system remotely. These solutions increased efficiency and reduced reliance on manpower. At the same time, they cut down generator idling time and fuel consumption.
Using technology to achieve good WSH performance
8 Technology continues to be a key enabler of higher productivity and good WSH performance. The Construction Safety Innovation Award recognises efforts of contractors in adopting innovative solutions to improve workplace safety.
9 Santarli Construction Pte Ltd – Zheng Keng Engineering & Construction Pte Ltd Joint Venture was recognised for the use of AI camera blind spot detection sensors mounted on telescopic handlers, a machinery used to transfer materials around worksite. This helps minimise workplace hazards for operators and provide an additional layer of visibility as they will be able to detect if there are other workers within the blind spots. The operator is alerted to these hazards via visual and audio alerts, allowing them to take evasive action and avoid accidents. Workers near the telescopic handlers can also hear audio alerts, and promptly move to a safe distance away from the machinery. Please refer to ANNEX D for photos of the AI camera blind spot detection sensor.
Championing environmental sustainability in LTA projects
10 From this year onwards, LTA will also start placing greater emphasis in its tender evaluation on environmental sustainability practices, as well as the use of innovative technology to achieve good WSH performance. For example, tenderers will be given additional points for their sustainability efforts (e.g. corporate carbon disclosure, green accreditation) and environmentally-friendly technical proposals (e.g. use of low-carbon building materials, electrified construction machineries). They will also receive a higher score for the use of technology to improve WSH (e.g. personal wearable devices enabling location tracing, geofencing and health monitoring of workers in worksites).
11 New LTA contracts will also encourage the adoption of technology for construction supervision, as well as the use of more sustainable construction materials such as low-carbon concrete and green steel. Contractors of new rail projects will also be required to monitor the carbon footprint of their projects by submitting an Embodied Carbon Report.
About ASAC
The ASAC was inaugurated in 1999 to recognise contractors who have been proactive and successful in promoting Workplace Safety and Health management practices at their worksites, ensuring high health, safety and welfare standards of workers, and giving due consideration to protecting the public and the environment.
