EFFECTIVENESS OF SINGAPORE'S WORK INJURY COMPENSATION ACT

Abstract

As recognized by the majority of the general public, the local construction industry, although undeniably is one that contributes the most significant amount to Singapore’s economy, it is also seen as one of the most dangerous working environment. This further emphasizes the importance in ensuring an appropriate statute that deals particularly with injury compensation, typically involving both employers and employees. In April 2008, the previous Workmen Compensation Act was altered to form the current Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA), with the intention to preserve the rights of injured construction workers, yet at the same time, protect employers from fraudulent claims. Following, the purpose of this research is then to understand the effectiveness of this recently introduced WICA of Singapore. Two main areas are looked into with this comparative approach to determine the Act’s effectiveness, namely (i) to compare Singapore’s WICA against selected compensation schemes around the world and (ii) to compare Singapore WICA against the common law jurisdiction. With this comparative approach, this research paper attempts to highlight the strengths and weaknesses of Singapore’s WICA at an international level, yet at the same time, differentiates factors that allow Singapore’s WICA to be a far more effective system as compared to the common law jurisdiction.