NTUC U Safe Awards on 25 March 2026

~ NTUC U Safe Awards and Conference 2026 recognises unions, companies and union leaders championing workplace safety, as new risks emerge across
industries and professions ~

As the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act reaches its 20th anniversary in Singapore, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) calls for stronger action to address emerging WSH risks beyond traditional high-risk sectors as Singapore’s workplaces and workforce evolve.

NTUC U Safe Awards and Conference 2026

NTUC today hosted the U Safe Awards and Conference 2026, co-organised with NTUC LearningHub, with the theme “Keeping Singapore’s Workplace Safety and Health Framework Future-Ready.” The event focused on emerging risks to worker safety and health arising from climate and environmental change, worker wellbeing concerns, new technology trends, and a more diverse workforce. These trends require organisations to adopt a broader and more preventive approach to workplace safety and health for their workforce.

At the conference, an Award Ceremony was held to recognise unions, unionised companies, and individual union leaders for their efforts to improve workplace safety and health outcomes. Held at the Stephen Riady Auditorium at NTUC Centre, the event brought together union leaders, employers, safety professionals and tripartite partners to exchange views on emerging workplace risks and share best practices. Details on the awards recipients can be found in Annex A below.

NTUC President K. Thanaletchimi attended the award ceremony and delivered the keynote address as the Guest-of-Honour. Minister of State for Manpower Mr Dinesh Vasu Dash, was also in attendance as Special Guest Speaker.

In her keynote address, NTUC President K. Thanaletchimi announced the launch of a new Workplace Safety and Health campaign, “Emerging Risks, Safer Workplaces,” to mobilise unions and employers to identify emerging risks and implement practical WSH solutions at the workplace. The campaign will cover areas such as climate-related risks, age-friendly workplace design, worker health and wellbeing, and stronger protection for vulnerable workers, including platform and outsourced workers. President Thanaletchimi said the campaign will help workplaces “anticipate risks early” and “build safer, healthier and more resilient workplaces.”

NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong, who also sits on the Singapore Workplace Safety and Health Council, said that “As workplace risks evolve, we must move upstream and focus more on prevention. Singapore’s record-low workplace fatality rate in 2025 is a significant milestone, but every life lost is still one too many. As our workforce ages, WSH must adapt so that longer careers are also safer ones. Employers must go beyond compliance to redesign jobs, automate hazardous tasks and eliminate risks at the source. Proven safety technologies should no longer be optional, and in high-risk sectors, we should move to mandate established tools such as anti-collision systems, video analytics and fatigue detection.”

Addressing emerging workplace safety and health risks

Beyond recognising workplace safety champions, the NTUC U Safe Awards and Conference 2026 also convened panel segments on emerging workplace risks that require renewed attention from employers, safety professionals and workers.

The conference featured presentations on emerging workplace safety challenges, including:

a) Emerging risks from Singapore’s green transition, including new fuels and technologies, as well as climate-related hazards such as extreme heat and their impact on worker safety;
b) The need to adapt WSH practices to a more diverse workforce, including more older workers and more in contracting and subcontracting arrangements; and
c) Strengthening worker wellbeing through a strong workplace culture and support measures such as psychological first aid following serious workplace incidents.

Strengthening Platform Workers’ Safety

As workplace risks evolve across different forms of work, platform workers face distinct safety challenges that set them apart from workers in traditional sectors. Their workplace is shared with other road and footpath users who may be moving at different speeds. The incentive structures and time pressures that platform workers are subjected to creates unique safety risks that require targeted attention.

At the event, the Ministry of Manpower announced the formation of the Platform Worker Safety Workgroup (PWSW), which will coordinate efforts to strengthen platform worker safety outcomes and develop targeted measures to address the unique road risks that platform workers face. The workgroup is advised by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash with members from the government agencies, platform companies, NTUC and NTUC-affiliated platform work associations: the National Delivery Champions Association (NDCA), the National Private Hire Vehicles Association (NPHVA), and the National Taxi Association (NTA).

In response to the PWSW, Ms Yeo Wan Ling, NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, and Advisor to NTA, NPHVA, and NDCA, said, "For more than a decade, NTUC and our platform work associations have been on the ground, listening to our riders and drivers and representing their concerns. NTUC has consistently raised these concerns in Parliament and directly with platform companies, because an injured worker cannot provide for the family. The latest injury statistics are concerning, because behind every number is a real worker. NTUC has been telling platform companies to review their incentive schemes, because the welfare of workers cannot be the price of faster deliveries, longer hours, or unsafe conditions. That is why the Platform Worker Safety Workgroup matters. NTUC and our associations are in this workgroup to give voice to your challenges, and we will make sure what comes out of it makes a real difference on the ground. Because every worker matters."

The platform work associations have always prioritised safety for platform workers. With the Platform Worker Safety Workgroup in place, NTUC and the three associations will continue to call for targeted measures to address the risks platform workers face, so they can earn a living without compromising their safety. Marking 20 years of the Workplace Safety and Health Act, the NTUC U Safe Awards and Conference 2026 reinforced the need for sustained commitment and collaboration among employers, workers and unions, and a more forward-looking and preventive WSH approach to address the emerging risks across all sectors and professions.