Onsite facility equips workers with sharper skills

Woh Hup's new in-house centre provides hands-on instruction in tasks such as scaffold work and proper tool use, boosting workers' competence and confidence

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When he arrived in Singapore three years ago to work, Mr Gunasekaran Praveen did not have much training in construction work and had to pick up hand-tool skills from a colleague on the job.

The structural worker's story is hardly unique. For some construction workers, the first time they encounter equipment such as circular saws or nail guns is when they are on site.

Recognising that on-the-job learning can leave gaps in both safety and consistency, construction firm Woh Hup has set up a dedicated training centre. The facility provides workers with a safer environment to pick up essential skills before they step onto the worksite.

"For a high-risk work environment like a construction site, the consequences of having an unsure worker on site can be serious, or even deadly," says Mr Crawford Ang, director of Woh Hup's Workplace Safety Health and Environment division.