SINGAPORE: In the first half of the year there were fewer workplace deaths related to vehicle crashes, but falls remain a leading cause of serious injury, according to official figures released on Monday (August 20).

Vehicle-related fatalities – the leading cause of workplace deaths since 2013 – dropped to four in the first half of 2018, the Department of Human Resources (MOM) and Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Institute stated in a press release.

Both in the first half and in the second half of last year, seven fatalities were registered of vehicle-related incidents.

However, falls remain a cause for concern, resulting in seven deaths in the first half of this year. More than half of these fatal accidents occurred in the construction industry, said MOM and WSH Institute.

There were eight fatalities as a result of falls in the second half of last year and four in the first half of 2017.

Falls were also the main cause of serious injuries in the first half of 2018, with 142 cases.

This was an increase compared to 128 cases in the second half of 2017 and 112 cases in the first half of last year.

Machine-related incidents remained stable with 36 cases in the first half of this year, according to MOM and WSH Institute.

In the first half of 2018 there were 20 deaths in the workplace, slightly more than the 19 cases in the same period last year.

Most of these cases – 8 deaths – were in the construction sector, followed by the processing industry.

Compared with the first and second half of last year, including non-fatal cases, there were fewer workplace injuries, hazardous events and occupational diseases in the first half of 2018.