Safety council says not paying per trip may reduce incentive to rush
By Janice Heng, The Straits Times, 3 Sep 2013
ALL commercial drivers should be given a fixed salary to help reduce deaths on the road, a government safety board has recommended.
It says no longer paying per journey could reduce the incentive to rush.
The proposal by the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council follows calls for action in the wake of January's horrific concrete truck accident that killed two young brothers in Tampines. And it comes ahead of a change in the law next year that will mean companies have to report all work-related traffic accidents.
Many drivers already get a fixed wage, The Straits Times understands. But it is also common for them to receive incentives for each trip. "I think the element of incentives is inevitable," said OCWS Logistics general manager Christopher Yeo.
The proposal is one of many in new draft guidelines developed by the council. Other topics covered include routes, vehicle maintenance and drivers' work schedules.
Details were revealed yesterday at a forum organised by the WSH Council and Manpower Ministry (MOM). Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Manpower and Education Hawazi Daipi also announced that drivers will have to report all work-related traffic accidents from next year.
"This amendment will enable us to be more effective in tracking the frequency and causes of work-related traffic accidents to identify possible areas of intervention," he said.
From now on, work-related traffic accidents will be included in the half-yearly WSH statistics report. "As business leaders that have control over a large fleet of vehicles and drivers, your role is especially important," Mr Hawazi told about 400 industry players at the forum.
He added that 30 per cent of vehicles in Singapore are used for work. Last year, 13 people died in work-related traffic accidents, up from 10 in 2011.Many companies are already taking steps to make the roads safer. Mr Yeo's firm tracks its 100-odd drivers using an in-vehicle monitoring system, which can tell whether they buckle up, speed, brake suddenly, and so on. This makes them more aware of their behaviour and encourages safer driving.
MOM is now studying whether such systems can improve traffic safety, while the WSH Institute is studying the impact of a rotating night shift on logistics drivers.
Meanwhile, the WSH Council is making an educational video on safe driving for heavy vehicles, to be released later this month. It will also hold two safety clinics for employers, together with the ministry, the traffic police and Singapore Road Safety Council.
"We cannot... shift the responsibility of driving safely solely to the drivers," said Mr Hawazi.
Nigel Yap Yew Cheong, 13, and Donavan Yap Teck Siong, seven, died after being hit by the concrete mixer at a junction on Jan 28. Its driver has pleaded not guilty to causing death by negligence.