SINGAPORE – Two delivery riders died in road accidents in 2025, a year when vehicular incidents remained the top cause of the 36 workplace deaths in Singapore for the second year running.
Another 74 platform workers had major injuries, according to the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) annual workplace safety and health report released on March 25, which included non-fatal injuries among such workers for the first time.
Overall, however, the number of workplace deaths fell from 43 in 2024, bringing the workplace death rate to 0.96 per 100,000 workers.
This is the lowest since 2020, when construction activity slowed during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The inclusion of injury data on platform workers followed the implementation of the Platform Workers Act on Jan 1, 2025, which requires platform operators to report work-related injuries and occupational diseases.
Major injuries include amputation and paralysis.
Of the 74 major injuries among platform workers, 60 occurred in traffic incidents, and 12 resulted from slips, trips and falls.
The majority, or 62 injuries, involved platform workers making deliveries, and the remainder were ride-hailing drivers.
Speaking at a National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) event on March 25 to recognise efforts to improve workplace safety and health, Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash noted that delivery riders on two-wheeled vehicles made up a significant proportion of workplace injuries.
MOM said the high death and injury rate of 84.6 per 100,000 platform workers reflects the risks involved in such work.
Overall, vehicular incidents accounted for 15 fatalities, or 42 per cent of workplace deaths in 2025, up from 11 in 2024.
The other top causes of deaths were falls from height with seven, collapse or failure of structures and equipment with six, and being struck by falling or moving objects with four.
