SINGAPORE: From 2027, all forklift operators in Singapore must attend a refresher training course at least once every three years. 

The move, announced on Wednesday (Nov 6), is part of efforts to improve workplace safety and health (WSH) excellence, said the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).

Vehicular incidents were the leading cause of fatal workplace injuries between 2022 and 2023, and a quarter of these vehicular fatalities involved forklifts, the ministry said in a media release. 

In the same period, MOM's inspections found that close to 80 per cent of forklift-related contraventions involved operators who had not undergone refresher training within three years. 

"Under the WSH guidelines on safe operation of forklift trucks, all forklift operators should attend a refresher training course once every three years after the completion of their first training course," MOM said. 

The new requirement will take effect from 2027 to allow forklift operators sufficient time to attend the refresher training, the ministry added. 

An enhanced forklift operator refresher training course will also be launched next year, which will provide operators with essential skills through both theory and practical training, MOM said.

The course will cover key safety concepts, industry guidelines, learnings from past incidents and hands-on practice. 

"Participants will refresh their knowledge on practical forklift operation skills, and learn to recognise and manage potential risks, equipping them for everyday operational challenges," the ministry said. 

"This will strengthen the safety awareness of forklift operators and reinforce compliance with safety regulations."

"Forklift operators are advised to complete the training promptly to stay current with safe operating practices," the ministry said.

Employers and principals are responsible for ensuring their operators complete the refresher course within the specified timeframe before allowing them to operate forklifts, it added.

More details on the refresher training requirement will be given at a later date, MOM said.

RECENT FORKLIFT-RELATED ACCIDENTS

In January, a company director was sentenced to five months' jail after a 65-year-old man died in a workplace accident involving a forklift in 2023. 

The man was tasked with transporting a forklift out of a worksite via a low-bed lorry. After successfully reversing the forklift up the lorry, the man went to the front to secure it but was run over by the forklift when it rolled forward.

Investigations found that the victim was not a trained forklift operator, but was still tasked with transporting and operating a forklift. 

In a separate incident, logistics company Hoy San Stevedoring was fined S$240,000 (US$180,357) in 2023 when a worker had to have his leg amputated after he was hit by a forklift in 2020. 

MOM's investigations found that the company failed to conduct a proper risk assessment and did not implement the necessary risk control measures.