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The revision of OD coverage will extend to all work-related musculoskeletal disorders, not just those affecting the upper limbs, and to all occupational infectious diseases in healthcare, research, and laboratory settings, beyond tuberculosis.
Singapore's Ministry of Manpower (MOM) will be updating its Occupational Disease list with effect from 1 December 2025, with the aim to strengthen protection for workers and provide clearer guidance for employers by aligning reporting and compensation requirements under the Work Safety Health (WSH) and Work Injury Compensation Acts (WICA).
As announced on 30 September (Tuesday), the updated lists of ODs will recognise a total of 38 diseases and align both Acts, aiming to ensure the same list of ODs is reportable and compensable under both WSHA and WICA.
Updated list of ODs under Second Schedules of WSHA and WICA
The updated Second Schedules of the WSHA and the WICA is as follows:
*Note: The disease names may be subject to further change.
Key changes of OD coverage
The updated OD list will see the following changes:
- All work-related musculoskeletal disorders, beyond upper limbs would be covered
- The expansion of work-related musculoskeletal disorder coverage aims to provide improved coverage as back, spine and lower limb musculoskeletal disorders can also result from ergonomic risk factors coupled with occupational exposure.
- All occupational infectious diseases in healthcare, research facilities and laboratory settings, beyond tuberculosis would be covered
- The expansion of infectious diseases enhances coverage for all workers in healthcare, research facilities and laboratory settings, as there is a higher risk of exposure to infectious diseases in these work settings.
Updated nomenclature of OD
- "Liver angiosarcoma" will be renamed to "Occupational liver angiosarcoma", to be clear that only work-related liver angiosarcoma is an occupational cancer and therefore is reportable, in line with the WICA’s and WSHA’s focus on safety and health issues arising from work or the workplace.
- "Mesothelioma" will be renamed to "Malignant mesothelioma", to be clear that only malignant mesothelioma is an occupational cancer and therefore is reportable, in line with the WICA’s and WSHA’s focus on safety and health issues arising from work or the workplace.
- "Noise induced deafness" will be renamed to "Noise-induced hearing loss", to better reflect the range of hearing impairment due to occupational noise exposure.
- "Cataracts due to infra-red, ultraviolet or X-ray radiation" will be renamed to "Cataracts due to infra-red, ultraviolet, or ionising radiation" as exposure to ionising radiation at work, including particulate and electromagnetic radiation, including X-rays, has been assessed to be a risk factor for cataracts.
Removal of diseases arising from work-related accidents
"Poisoning by carbon dioxide gas" and "Ulceration of the corneal surface of the eye" will be removed as these conditions are commonly caused by accidents rather than exposure to work-related risk factors.
However, these diseases would remain compensable under the WICA as work injuries, rather than an OD.
Reorganised OD schedule by categories
The reorganisation of the Schedule will be categorised by type of exposure agent, target organ system, and occupational cancers aims to facilitate reporting.
Reporting requirements for ODs under WSHA and WICA
The reporting requirements for ODs remained unchanged for all employers, platform operators and doctors.
| Reporting requirements | Who needs to report? | |
| Under WSHA | Employers Platform Operators Doctors | |
| Under WICA | Employers Platform Operators |
Singapore’s WSH performance in 1H 2025 reflects continued progress, with major injury rate at an all-time low
In addition to the announcement of the updated OD list, MOM shared that Singapore’s Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) performance in H1 2025 reflects continued progress, with the annualised workplace fatal injury rate per 100,000 workers standing at 0.92, compared to 1.0 in H1 2024.
The annualised major injury rate per 100,000 workers also fell to an all-time low (excluding 2020 where projects were disrupted due to COVID-19) of 15.5 from 16.6 in H1 2024, continuing the downward trend in recent years.
Sectoral safety performance
Improvements have been observed in both manufacturing and construction, the sectors that are the top contributors to fatal and major injuries.
The manufacturing sector saw progress, with the number of fatal and major injuries declining from 65 in H1 2024 to 55 in H1 2025. In particular, the metalworking industry saw a marked 29% reduction in fatal and major injuries compared to the same period last year. Tighter machinery safety requirements likely contributed to this decline.
The construction sector’s annualised fatal and major injury rate per 100,000 workers also fell from 30.6 (81 injuries) in H1 2024 to 28.2 (76 injuries) in H1 2025. Regular / larger-scale worksites recorded fewer injuries (27 compared to 31 in H1 2024). For smaller-scale construction works, there were 46 injuries in H1 2025, comparable to 47 in H1 2024. The improvement may be attributed to stronger enforcement, a sector-wide safety time-out in November 2024, and stricter safety requirements for public-sector projects introduced in April 2024.
Across sectors, vehicular incidents and falls from height were the leading causes of fatalities, while slips, trips and falls remained the top cause of major injuries.
"The improvements in WSH performance, together with the expanded OD coverage, mark important progress in protecting workers from both work injuries and occupational health risks," the Ministry stated.
"MOM will continue working closely with unions, employers, and industry partners to sustain the momentum and press on towards a culture of WSH excellence."
READ MORE: New rules to support Singapore businesses in enhancing lifting equipment safety
Infographics / MOM & MOM Facebook
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