Safety and Health Management System

Learn about safety and health management systems. Find out about related requirements, laws and standards.

Definition: Safety and Health Management System

A safety and health management system (SHMS) is a systematic process for managing workplace safety and health. It includes setting goals, planning, measuring performance, and managing commitments and direction.

Learn more about the requirement for a safety and health management system.

 

WSH Audit

Certain workplaces must audit their SHMS periodically to ensure that the system remains robust.

As an employer, you must appoint an SAC-accredited WSH Auditing Organisation or MOM-approved WSH auditor to audit your SHMS if your workplace is one of the following:

Type of Workplace

Frequency of Audit

Any worksite with a contract sum of $30 million or more

At least once every 6 months

Any shipyard employing 200 or more people

At least once every 12 months

Any factory engaged in manufacturing fabricated metal products, machinery or equipment, and which employs 100 or more people

Any factory that processes or manufactures petroleum, petroleum products, petrochemicals or petrochemical products

At least once every 24 months

Any premises that store toxic or flammable liquids at a storage capacity of 5,000 or more cubic metres

Any factory manufacturing fluorine, chlorine, hydrogen fluoride, carbon monoxide and synthetic polymers

Any factory manufacturing pharmaceutical products or their intermediates

Any factory manufacturing semiconductor wafers

 

Internal Review

If your workplace belongs to one of the following, you will need to conduct a periodic internal review on the SHMS:

Type of Workplace

Frequency of Review

Any worksite with a contract sum of less than $30 million

At least once every 6 months

Any shipyard employing fewer than 200 persons

At least once every 12 months

Like a WSH audit, an internal review of your SHMS should be conducted by an SAC-accredited WSH Auditing Organisation or MOM-approved WSH auditor. Alternatively, you can assign a staff who has minimally passed an established audit course to conduct the internal review.

 

Laws and Industry Standards

As an employer, you are expected to comply with Singapore's WSH laws. You should pay particular attention to:

You should also observe relevant industry standards, such as:

  • SS ISO 45001: Occupational health and safety management systems – Requirements with guidance for use
  • SS 651: Safety and health management system for the chemical industry – Requirements with guidance for use
  • SS 679:2021 Code of practice for workplace safety and health management system for construction worksites

Please refer to the WSH (Approved Codes of Practice) Notification for the full list of approved Codes of Practice.

 

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Resources

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