Championing safety improvement with the Because I care attitude

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1 Championing safety improvement with the Because I care attitude Ms Yap Li Li is the appointed Safety & Health Coordinator (SHC) for the Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing (CRISP). She has been with the department since 2000 as a laboratory technician and officially took on the role as SHC in A typical day for Li Li as a safety and health coordinator would involve reviewing safety documentation, performing checks on the temperature monitoring system for the uninterrupted power supply (UPS), conducting safety briefings and carrying out inspections for repair and maintenance work. Li Li has always been proactive in driving safety and health improvement in the department. Because I care for my department and colleagues is the reason she gives for her motivation to put in the hard work. Li Li took the initiative to find out more about legal requirements and to ensure that the department was ready for any change when the Workplace Safety and Health Act was enacted in 2006, even before she took up the SHC appointment. Under her recommendation, Li Li and selected staff were sent for training such as the Work at Height Supervisor course to enhance their safety skills and knowledge. She also assumed the role of ensuring safe operations for work carried out by contractors. Even overseas contractors engaged for antenna maintenance know her for her feisty no-compromise demeanor when it comes to safety. Li Li was instrumental in developing the Departmental Safety & Health Management System (DSHMS) for CRISP in 2015; the hard work came to fruition with CRISP obtaining the Commitment award for their inaugural participation in the NUS Safety & Health Awards In 2016, she was appointed, by the Director of CRISP, a member of the NUS task force responsible for developing the safety standards for the safe use of UPS. She was an active committee member and was eager to share best practices for the safe management of UPS in NUS. Figure 1: Li Li in a discussion with Safety Committee members and CRIPS Director Mr Kwoh (L-R: Ms Karen Wong, Ms Yap Li Li, Mr Kwoh Leong Keong)

2 Li Li s commitment to safety has led her to pursue a Specialist Diploma in Workplace Safety and Health at Singapore Polytechnic in She takes pride in being able to apply the knowledge gained to maintain good safety records for CRISP. Seeing her colleagues becoming more proactive in keeping the workplace safe over the years keeps her motivated to do more to promulgate safety as everyone s business.

3 NUS Safety & Health Awards (NUSSHA) 2017 Results of the 48 participating departments The NUS Safety & Health Award (formerly known as Annual Safety & Health Performance Award) rewards and recognizes departments on the extent of implementation of their departmental safety and health management system (DSHMS). More information on the application and judging criteria of NUSSHA can be found here. The departments were presented their awards at the NUSSHA award ceremony held on the 20 th of April OSHE received 48 applications, which was almost a 100% increase in participation rate as compared to ASHPA The breakdown of awards are as follows: Two departments received the Excellence Award for implementing an enhanced DSHMS. Six departments received the Commendation Award for implementing a comprehensive DSHMS Forty departments received the Commitment Award for a progressive implementation of the DSHMS. The list of Departments for the different award categories are listed below: Excellence Award Pharmacology Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health Commendation Award Anaesthesia Biochemistry Microbiology and Paediatrics Immunology Pharmacy Orthopaedic Surgery Commitment Award Anatomy Architecture Biological Sciences Biomedical Building Cancer Science Institute Centre for 2D Advanced Materials Centre for Quantum Technologies Centre for Remote Imaging, Sensing and Processing Chemical and Biomolecular Chemistry Civil and Environmental Clinical Imaging Research Centre Comparative Medicine Dentistry Duke-NUS Medical School Electrical and Lee Kong Chian Natural Life Sciences Institute Materials Science and Computer Mechanical History Museum Mechanobiology Institute Medicine NUS Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Initiative Obstetrics and Office of Campus Office of Facilities Gynaecology Amenities Management Otolaryngology Physics Physiology Raffles Hall Office of Housing Services

4 Sheares Hall Singapore Institute for Neurotechnology (SINAPSE) Singapore Synchrotron Light Source Solar Energy Research Institute of Singapore Surgery Temasek Hall Temasek Lab Tropical Marine Science Institute Congratulations to all award winners!

5 New online safety & health training courses on risk assessment and safety in field research OSHE is pleased to announce that three new online training modules have been launched in NUS IVLE system for staff and students.the scope and applicability of the three modules are shown below: Title of the Module Risk Management for Laboratories (OSHGEN06) Who should attend & Why Recommended for staff and students who are involved in conducting risk assessments for their laboratory activities. Safety leads are highly encouraged to attend this training. Department Safety Coordinators are required to complete this online training as a pre-requisite before attending the Risk Management for Laboratories (Hands-on) training. The training complements the NUS General Laboratory Safety Manual. Risk Management for General Workplace (OSHGEN07) Field Research Safety (OSHGEN08) Highly recommended for staff and students who are involved in conducting risk assessments for their general workplace (e.g. office, halls of residence, computer centres etc) activities Highly recommended for staff and students who perform research activities such as collection of data or samples, performing experiments or carrying out observational studies out in the field, both locally and/or oversea The training complements the manual titled NUS Safety & Health Guidelines for Field Trips by providing staff and students guidance to better identify and mitigate possible hazards and emergency situations that might occur during field research. More details on these and other safety and health training modules can be found in on the Structured Safety Training System website. Reminder: Do also take note of the new training courses available for radiation safety and biosafety, and the changes regarding the frequency of compulsory training. Details can be found here.