After the signing of the ILO and Singapore partnership agreement in June 2011, ILO and Singapore (Ministry of Manpower (MOM)) has developed the cooperation programme to help enhance capability in the field of labour and promote the adoption of forward looking labour and workplace practices. Both parties have identified Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) as a key area of cooperation, and recently jointly implemented in support to Brunei Darussalam in her development of a National OSH Profile through a triangular South-South cooperation arrangement.

This is based on the evidence of occupational accidents which was on the rise in Brunei according to the record of the Commission of Labor since 2008, especially in the construction industry with a 50 percent increase of accidents in the workplace. The Government has set out to address Brunei’s lack of workplace safety by introducing the Workplace Safety and Health Order in May 2010, which recently came into in force.

In November 2011, under the ILO –Singapore Cooperation, the MOM sent two OSH experts to Brunei Darussalam to the workshop sponsored by ILO-Japan Partnership. The experts provided inputs on the methodology to develop an OSH profile and work plan. There were about 35 participants from various stakeholders attending the workshop; e.g. Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Health, workers and employers representatives, etc. The overall process will be completed within six months and Bruneian officials will require continued technical supports and guidance from the Singaporean experts as well as concerned ILO specialists.