The number of companies certified with workplace safety standard bizSAFE has grown from 550 to more than 10,000 in over five years.

This 18-fold jump suggests that awareness of workplace safety and health issues among small-and-medium enterprises (SMEs) has grown, said Minister of Manpower Tharman Shanmugaratnam said in Parliament on Tuesday.

Mr Shanmugaratnam was responding to Member of Parliament Yaw Shin Leong's question on whether bizSAFE-certified companies have better workplace safety standards than non-certified companies, in the area of fatal injuries.

Mr Shanmugaratnam said that while there is no empirical evidence to conclude that companies who have attained bizSAFE levels 3 and above have lower accident rates, anecdotal evidence suggests that bizSAFE is a useful programme.

He pointed out that bizSAFE membership is now seen to be of value and something that a business must acquire if it wants to compete with firms that are already on board.

"In fact, several shipyards and main construction contractors have made bizSAFE a requirement for the sub-contractors they engage," said Mr Shanmugaratnam.

The bizSAFE programme was launched in 2007 to help companies build up their risk assessment capabilities.

It is a 5-tier voluntary programme targeted at SMEs.

Only companies that have demonstrated their ability to effectively conduct risk assessment, as audited by MOM-approved Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) auditors, are accorded bizSAFE level 3 status.

bizSAFE Stars are awarded to businesses with comprehensive WSH management systems in place and who have obtained the Singapore Standard on Occupational Safety and Health management systems or equivalent certifications.

klim@sph.com.sg