Element Singapore, one of the leading testing, inspection and certification providers in the country, has reinforced its commitment to safe working conditions for local construction site employees through significant investments into safer transportation, new drilling equipment, and improved safety procedures and processes.

The investment of over S$3 million means Element Singapore, part of the global Element Materials Technology group, now operates 14 minibuses that help transport over 200 staff employed with its geotechnical services daily from their accommodation to various construction sites. The minibuses are all equipped with three-point inertia-reel type seatbelts to ensure the safety of the passengers.

Element has also invested into new drilling equipment with enhanced safety features. This upgrade will help prevent accidents and equipment damage, leading to a safer and more efficient drilling operation.

Alongside the major outlay into its fleet, Element has implemented the use of rod lifting safety tools for safer manual handling of casing. The lifting tool safeguards against hand injuries by allowing employees to carry heavy metal pipes ergonomically while keeping their hands away from potentially dangerous pinch points.

Element’s commitment to investing and improving transportation and site safety coincides with wider safety directives in Singapore. Speed limiters, and better regulations to ensure driver alertness and wellbeing are two examples of how transportation is improving for construction employees.

Element in Singapore provides geotechnical instrumentation and monitoring, soil investigation, as well as construction materials testing services for major infrastructure projects to make certain that materials are safe in their application, compliant, and ultimately fit for purpose. Major infrastructure developments that Element is involved in include public and private housing projects, MRT Cross Island Line, the North-South Corridor multi-modal transportation project, and the RTS Link station at Woodlands that connects to Johor Bahru in Malaysia.

Alister Beck, director of built environment in South East Asia at Element Singapore, said, “At Element, our ethos is all about ‘Making Tomorrow Safer Than Today’. We have a large team looking after their wellbeing is of utmost priority. That’s why we’ve made these investments, as we are committed to bettering health and safety standards every day, and this is just one way we are upholding this value.

“Besides the investments we’ve made, we continually train and assess our staff to prevent accidents on site and go through rigorous competency programmes with site supervisors to maintain the highest standards of safety at construction sites.”