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Sustainability Report FY11
50
CONTENTS
Monitoring Progress 22 Materiality Matrix
26 Reporting Boundary
28 Awards & Benchmarks
30 Sustainability Report Card
Inside NEA02 Foreword by CEO
04 Preface
06 Our Mandate
08 Our Governance Structure
12 Sustainability in Our Policies & Public Initiatives
16 Our Sustainability Framework
18 Risk Management
Nurturing50 An Eco-Friendly Culture
55 Our People
59 Operational Excellence
Cherishing66 Today for a Better Tomorrow
Safeguarding 34 Our Environment
40 Our Finances
44 Our Workplace
02
34
22
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INSIdE NEANEA is both a regulator and champion for the environment
and seeks to ensure clean air, clean land, clean water and
a high standard of public health for our nation.
This begins inside NEA as we walk the talk and innovate
for sustainability, share with the community, and embed
sustainability in our day-to-day work.
FOREWORd BY CEO
In 2009, the Government launched the Sustainable
Development Blueprint with the intention of developing
Singapore into a more liveable and sustainable city. The report
highlighted how sustainable development for Singapore
should be about achieving economic growth without
compromising on the quality of our living environment.
An integral part of this Blueprint is the role of organisations,
businesses, and industry in adopting and promoting
environmental sustainability. Looking beyond corporate
social responsibility, adopting sustainability is a means to
manage risks and strengthen one’s competitiveness. With
global resources verging towards scarcity and rising public
expectations, there is a pressing need for businesses to
rethink and restructure their current operations to factor in
these risks.
Organisations which balance economic and environmental
sustainability will be better positioned in an increasingly
resource-constrained world. I believe that embracing
sustainability presents opportunities for organisations and
businesses to collaborate for growth as well as to tackle
the challenges of climate change and other environmental
problems effectively.
Public sector agencies such as the National Environment
Agency (NEA) have an important role to play in contributing
(PSTLES) initiative. These initiatives are testament to our
past and continued efforts to ensure that our internal
principles on sustainability − W.I.S.E. (Walk the Talk, Innovate
for Sustainability, Share with the Community and Embed
Sustainability) are integrated in our work.
This is NEA’s first Sustainability Report and the first by a
Singapore public agency drafted in line with Global Reporting
Initiative (GRI) guidelines. We have also set ourselves a high
target, that is, to publish a B-GRI checked sustainability
report. I am pleased that we have managed to do so and this
would not have been possible without the efforts by our staff
to walk the talk and innovate for sustainability.
In driving environmental sustainability for Singapore,
NEA will continue its strategic push to promote higher
environmental standards, achieve greater resource
efficiency, develop the country’s clean environment industry,
and encourage greater community ownership of the
environment. These are in line with the overall goals of the
Singapore Sustainable Development Blueprint.
At the same time, NEA will continue with its transformation
efforts to be relevant and future-ready and promote sustainable
practices working in collaboration with its partners.
to Singapore’s plans for sustainable development. With a
better informed electorate, the public now expects higher
standards of transparency and accountability from the
Government and public agencies.
As the leading environmental agency in Singapore, NEA
should lead the way in sustainability in our day-to-day
work. We have taken the first step forward in FY11 by
putting in place a framework and governance structure
for sustainability, building on our existing programmes on
sustainability and initiating new internal programmes, with
plans to further drive hardware and “heartware” changes for
sustainability within NEA in the medium-term. I believe it is
timely for NEA to now take another step forward and share
with the community our internal efforts on sustainability
through this first sustainability report.
This move towards sustainability reporting shows NEA’s
commitment to transparency and accountability in our work
and belief in the environmental causes we are driving to
achieve a cleaner and greener Singapore. Some of the steps
we have taken on our journey of sustainability include the
replanting of mangroves totalling 136,000 square metres —
following the construction of the offshore Semakau Landfill,
integrating green design in our newest meteorological service
facility along Kim Chuan Road, as well as championing the
Public Sector Taking the Lead on Environmental Sustainability
I hope that our move towards sustainability reporting would
motivate other public agencies and businesses to embark on
their own journey of sustainability and unlock the true value
of their organisations.
The environment is everyone’s responsibility. Let us work
together to safeguard, nurture, and cherish our environment.
Mr Andrew Tan
Chief Executive Officer
National Environment Agency
INSIdE NEA
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
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PREFACEThe National Environment Agency (NEA) was formed on
1 July 2002 as the leading public organisation in Singapore
responsible for improving and sustaining a clean and green
environment in Singapore. Its core mandate has been to
develop as well as spearhead environmental initiatives and
programmes through its partnership with the People, Public,
and Private sectors.
NEA is a statutory board under the Ministry of the
Environment and Water Resources in Singapore. NEA is both
a regulator and champion for the Environment. By protecting
Singapore’s environment from pollution, maintaining a high
level of public health, encouraging resource conservation
and providing timely meteorological information, NEA
endeavors to ensure clean air, clean land, clean water, and a
high standard of public health.
NEA has a broad work scope under its purview and has been
in a constant push to strategise and implement sustainable
policies for the greater good of Singapore’s natural and
urban environment under the following key programmes:
• PollutionControl
• SolidWasteManagement
• EnergyEfficiency
• RadiationProtectionandNuclearSafety
• PreventionandControlofVector-BorneDiseases
• PublicHygieneandCleanliness
• ManagementofHawkerCentres
• MeteorologicalServices
• 3P(People,Public,andPrivate)Partnership
• EnvironmentalTraining
Within NEA, there are twelve different divisions/offices
governed by a 12-strong Board of Directors, with some
divisions focusing on singular while others, multiple
responsibilities (as listed above):
1. 3P Network Division
2. Corporate Services and Development Division
3. HumanResourceDivision
4. Policy and Planning Division
5. Environmental Protection Division
6. EnvironmentalPublicHealthDivision
7. Meteorological Service Singapore
8. Singapore Environmental Institute
9. Environment Technology Office
10. Strategic Development & Transformation Office
11. Industry Development & Promotion Office
12. Service Quality Division
As highlighted in NEA’s Annual Report 2010/11,
environmental ownership in the community is a critical
factor for achieving environmental sustainability, which
involves striking a balance between economic development
and growth alongside a clean and green environment to
live in. This concept for environmental ownership calls for
Singaporeans to take action along the three action themes
of “Safeguard, Nurture, and Cherish” as follows:
• Safeguard our clean and healthy environment
• Nurture an eco-friendly culture in every generation
• Cherish our beautiful, clean, and green environment for
present and future generations
Being part of this community calls for NEA to recognise the
importance of walking the talk in safeguarding Singapore’s
clean and healthy environment and nurturing an eco-
friendly culture within NEA. Thus, in April 2010, NEA set
up the Sustainability Office with a clear objective to drive
sustainability within NEA, emphasising on engaging our staff,
partners, and the community at large in our sustainability
drive. Some of the key initiatives to drive sustainability within
NEA include complying with requirements under the Public
Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental Sustainability
(PSTLES) initiative, the Eco-Office programme, 8 Effective
Habits 10% Challenge, corporate social responsibility and
work-life harmony.
This report aims to share with the community our efforts
within NEA in adopting sustainable practices for the benefit
of our environment, economy, and community both present
and future. We hope this would inspire the community and
responsible organisations to similarly embed sustainability in
their day-to-day operations and embark on their own journey
of sustainability.
INSIdE NEA
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
INSIdE NEA
0504
4. Innovation − We constantly pursue new ideas and
creative solutions.
5. Professionalism − We take pride in what we do and
strive for excellence.
OUR MANdATE Integration of NEA’s core values in our drive
for sustainability within NEA
Sustainability is a core strategy for business
excellence in NEA. Through our internal drive for
sustainability, NEA also aims to further promote
our core values and integrates these values in our
sustainability framework, governance structure and
initiatives as follows:
• Caring and Innovation as fundamental values
in NEA’s Sustainability Framework
• To ensure Teamwork through emphasis on
engagement
• To uphold Integrity through good corporate
governance on sustainability
• To ensure Professionalism through efforts to
benchmark our work on sustainability
This report will explain how we envision our
undertakings in encouraging sustainability within NEA
as we safeguard, nurture, and cherish our environment.
CORE VALUESFundamental to NEA’s success in realising our mission and
vision are our five core values. These are the cornerstones
that will continue to govern the organisation’s best practices
as we fulfil our responsibilities and strive for greater
excellence in the short, medium, and long term.
1. Caring − We value each individual and strive to exceed
our customers’ expectations.
2. Integrity − We uphold the trust and confidence of others
in us.
3. Teamwork − We work as a team and with our partners
to achieve common goals.
VISIONaN Enterprising Agency, Embracing All in Caring for our
CleanandHealthyEnvironment−Today,forTomorrow
MISSION To achieve a liveable and sustainable Singapore, we:
• Safeguardandpromotetheenvironment
• Strengthencommunityownership
• Buildstrongcapabilitieswithourpartners
• Servewithpassionandexcellence
NEA takes a long-term view to drive environmental sustainability in Singapore. This is clearly reflected in our Vision, Mission and Core Values.
INSIdE NEA
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
INSIdE NEA
0706
Prof Kandiah Satkunanantham
Director of Medical Services
Ministry of Health
Mr David Wong Cheong Fook
Chairman
Ascendas Funds
Management (S) Ltd
Within the Board, there have been three committees established to assist in the execution of its responsibilities: Audit
Committee, Human Resource Committee and Board Strategy Committee.
The Audit Committee is tasked to assist the Board in maintaining a high standard of corporate governance, particularly in the areas of financial accounting and reporting, and internal control systems. It assesses external auditors based on factors such as the quality of their audit and the independence of the auditors before recommending them to the Board.
The Human Resource Committee ensures an objective and fair management process in churning direct reports to the Chief Executive Officer and equivalent Director-General/Director-level positions in NEA. Besides this, it endorses changes in salary schemes, the terms and conditions of service for NEA staff, and ensures that appropriate action is taken with regard to disciplinary matters.
The Board Strategy Committee provides strategic guidance to NEA’s management.
Audit Committee HumAn ResouRCe Committee BoARd stRAtegy Committee
Chair People: Ms Chew Gek Khim, Mr Andrew Tan, Mr Ang Hin Kee, Prof Lily Kong, Dr Phillip Choi, Mr Chia Mia Chiang and Ms Teoh Zsin Woon.Gender Allocation: 57% Male, 43% Female
Chair People: Ms Chew Gek Khim (Chairman), Mr Andrew Tan and Prof Kandiah SatkunananthamGender Allocation: 66% Male, 33% Female
Chair People: Mr David Wong (Chairman), Mr Daniel Ee and Ms Saw Phaik HwaGender Allocation: 66% Male, 33% Female
Our GOvernance Structure
¹ The board (as listed above) has served for a 2-year period from 1 Apr 2010
to 31 Mar 2012.
The Leadership
neA BoARd of diReCtoRsPlaying an advisory role to NEA’s corporate governance
is its 12-member Board of Directors which provides
strategic direction and oversight of NEA’s functions and
goals, steering the organisation towards achieving its vision
and mission. In addition, the Board is responsible for the
appointment of external auditors, critical to NEA’s overall
governance framework.
Mr Ang Hin Kee
Chief Executive Officer
Employment and Employability
Institute (e2i)
Ms Teoh Zsin Woon
Director
Strategic Planning
Ministry of National Development
Ms Saw Phaik Hwa
Former President and Chief
Executive Officer of SMRT
Corporation Ltd
Dr Philip Choi
Chairman
Shell International Eastern
Trading Company
Mr Chia Mia Chiang
Principal
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Ms Yew Lun Tian
Correspondent
Lianhe Zaobao
Singapore Press Holdings
Mr Andrew Tan
Chief Executive Officer
National Environment Agency
Mr Daniel Ee Hock Huat
Chairman
CitySpring Infrastructure
Management Pte Ltd
Ms Chew Gek Khim
Chairman
National Environment Agency
Executive Chairman
Tecity Group
Prof Lily Kong Lee Lee
Vice-President
University & Global Relations
National University of Singapore
All in all, the Board1 comprises individuals with diverse and
extensive experience in both private and public sectors,
commissioned by the Minister of the Environment and
Water Resources.
Internal AuditUnit
HeadMarcus Quek
Chief Executive Officer
Andrew Tan
Deputy CEO
(Policy & Planning)
Khoo Seow Poh
Deputy CEO
(Technology & Corp Devt)
Joseph Hui
Audit Committee
neA oRgAnisAtion CHARt
Customer & Quality
Service Dept
Operational Excellence
Dept
Complaints Investigation
Unit
CIO Office
Finance Dept
Legal Dept
Project Facilitation
Office
Corporate Excellence
Dept
Projects/Corporate Excellence
Dept
Procurement, Administration
& Projects Dept
Business Partners
HR Strategy & Policy Dept
Strategic Workforce Planning & Employee
Engagement
Business Administration
Environmental Learning Centre
Knowledge & Resource
Centre
Programme Development
Industry Development
Industry Promotion
Technology Research &
Development
Research Management
DirectorToh Wee Khiang
EnvironmentTechnology
Office
ServiceQuality Division
DirectorLee Kheng Seng
DirectorDalson Chung
Industry Devt & Promotion
Office /Sustainability
Office
DirectorOng Eng Kian
SingaporeEnvironment
Institute
DirectorGloria Chin
HumanResourceDivision
DirectorFrancis
Tan Eng Kim
Corp Svcs &Devt Division
teCHnology & CoRp devt gRoup
Environmental Health Dept
Environmental Health Institute
Hawkers Dept (Policy & Admin)
Hawkers Dept (Planning &
Devt)
Hawkers Dept (Operations)
Department of Public
Cleanliness
Business & Corporate Affairs Unit
Climate Science Dept
Weather Services Dept
Central Building
Plan Dept
Centre for Radiation & Protection & Nuclear Science
Energy Efficiency &
Conservation Dept
Pollution Control Dept
Waste & Resource
Management Dept
Project ( New Incineration
Plant)
Director-GeneralDerek Ho
EnvironmentalPublic Health
Division
Director-GeneralWong Chin Ling
MeteorologicalService
Singapore
Director-GeneralKoh Kim Hock
EnvironmentalProtection
Division
opeRAtions gRoup
As depicted in the chart below, NEA is segmented into two
groups: Policy & Planning and Technology & Corporate
Development. Both are led by designated Deputy Chief
Executive Officers who report directly to NEA’s Chief
Executive Officer. On a separate note, the Audit Committee
oversees the Internal Audit Unit independently under the
Chief Executive Officer’s watch.
Climate Change Programme
Dept
International Relations Dept
Policy Dept 1
Policy Dept 2
International Law Unit
Research & Statistics Unit
Programmes
Programme Marketing
Partnerships
DirectorChua Yew Peng
Policy &PlanningDivision
DirectorTan Wee Hock
3PN Division
DirectorDulcie Chan
CorporateCommunications
Dept
Strategic Devt &
Transformation Office / Joint Operations &
Planning
Systems Integration
Transformation Initiatives
Emergency Preparedness
& Crisis Management
Projects, Emergency
Preparedness
DirectorS. Satish Appoo
poliCy & plAnning gRoup
inside neA
NEA SUSTAINABILITy REPORT Fy11
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NEA SUStAINABILIty COMMIttEETo discuss, share and align our sustainability efforts
Chair: Director (Sustainability Office)Committeemembers:AllHeadsofDepartments
Middle Management’s Support
Volunteers for ad hoc Projects
PEERStaff Involvement
ECO-OffICE COMMIttEE
Senior Management’s Support
NEA StEERINg COMMIttEE fOR SUStAINABILItyTo provide overall leadership & direction on sustainability efforts in NEA
Chair: CEOCommittee members: Senior Management
NWRO Communiqué Day is an engagement platform
organised for the benefit of NEA’s North West
Regional Office (NWRO) personnel to keep tabs on
new developments, initiatives, policy changes and
implementationsatHQ.
On 22 December 2011, NWRO held its first NWRO
Communiqué Day, during which Sustainability Office
shared with around 100 NWRO colleagues the
rationale behind NEA’s sustainability framework and
more information on NEA’s governance structure on
sustainability. Staff support and feedback were also
sought for some of the new initiatives on sustainability
e.g.the8EffectiveHabits10%Challenge.
In line with NEA’s drive for environmental sustainability,
the NWRO’s Eco-Office champion elaborated
on NWRO’s existing and upcoming Eco-Office
initiatives and implementations, highlighting areas that
NWRO had done well and areas that would require
improvement as suggested by the Eco-Office auditors.
“Sustainability should not stay as an initiative
driven by HQ. Each of our site offices would
need to customise, run and sustain our own
programme in line with the HQ Sustainability
framework. Only by taking ownership, can we be
a step closer to embedding sustainability in our
day-to-day work. together, we can make NEA a
better organisation and workplace that we are all
proud to work in.”
Silachart Lau
Head,NorthWestRegionalOffice
SUStAINABILIty OffICEIn FY10, the Sustainability Office was set up to oversee
and coordinate all efforts on sustainability within NEA.
A robust governance structure was put in place with the
support and commitment from senior management and
the Board. Its purpose was to provide a structural conduit
for systemic flow of information from ground staff to top
management and vice versa.
NEA StEERINg COMMIttEE fOR SUStAINABILIty & SUStAINABILIty COMMIttEE Driving leadership and direction at the top is the NEA
Steering Committee for Sustainability chaired by the
Chief Executive Officer, comprising senior management.
They met thrice in FY11 for the following purposes:
• Deliberate on NEA’s future direction on sustainability
• Endorse NEA’s initiatives on sustainability
• Advise on NEA’s report preparation process
As this journey of sustainability involves strong commitment
and buy-in at all levels of NEA’s management, NEA has
since April 2011 appointed all Heads of Departments as
Sustainability Champions. Their role is to help drive sustainable
changes within their respective departments and foster a
culture of continuous improvement within the organisation.
The Sustainability Champions meet regularly at
NEA Sustainability Committee meetings. Here, the
Sustainability Champions − led by the Director (Sustainability
Office) − discuss, share, and align sustainability efforts.
Although the set-up might seem like a conventional top-
down approach, the flow of information functions just about
in an opposite manner in many instances. The seeds of
change are often initiated from the staff level. Information
is then passed on to the NEA Sustainability Committee for
evaluation. Potential solutions on sustainability, requiring
senior management’s approval, are subsequently surfaced
to the Steering Committee for their deliberation. upon
approval, the Sustainability Office will coordinate and
implement these efforts.
StAff INVOLVEMENtTo encourage staff to take ownership and play a bigger
role in promoting sustainability, Sustainability Champions
nominate at least one staff in their department to join the
working committees for sustainability, namely the Eco-
Office committee which drives environmental sustainability
and the Panel for Employee Engagement & Recognition
(PEER) committee that promotes engagement and
social sustainability. In FY11, each of the committees is
represented by at least 40 staff from all the departments in
NEA. Mechanisms are also put in place to review and rotate
staff involvement in these committees on a regular basis to
encourage new ideas and enhance staff involvement.
NEA also seeks to encourage staff involvement and
feedback on our sustainability initiatives through various
engagement channels (e.g. CEO Townhall, Intranet, email
blasts, discussion forums, focus group discussions, contests,
etc.). The aim is to create a conducive environment for staff
to contribute and innovate, thereby enhancing NEA’s abilities
to operate in a more environmentally, socially, and financially
sustainable manner.
SpreadingSustainabilityMessagesfromHQto off-site premises — NWRO Communiqué Day
Advocates of Sustainability
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NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
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Improving Energy Efficiency as a
Key Strategy to Mitigate Climate
Change
• Promote energy efficiency across all sectors in Singapore through legislation (e.g. the upcoming
Energy Conservation Act), incentive schemes (e.g. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance
Scheme), collaboration with partners ( e.g. the Energy Efficiency National Partnership programme)
and trainings to build capability
• Research and collaborate with partners to understand our vulnerabilities to climate change, identify and
assess adaptation measures required for climate change, and mitigate greenhouse gas emissions
Clean Air, Land & Water
Towards Zero Landfill
• Formulate environmental policy for clean air, land & water
• Control & monitor air pollution, water pollution, noise pollution, toxic waste, hazardous substances
• Ensure safe use of ionising and non-ionising radiation
• Implement policies to ensure proper waste management
• Regulate refuse collection for the domestic & trade premises and the disposal facilities — issue
licences to waste collectors and disposal facilities, and enforce against illegal dumping
• Operate and maintain waste-to-energy incineration plants as well as Semakau Landfill and Tuas
Marine Transfer Station
• Formulate policies and implement programmes to promote waste minimisation and recycling
• Enhance cleaning standards and inculcate anti-littering behavior
Building Capability & Expertise • Support collaboration for innovation and the development and adaptation of green technology and products
• Provide training through our training and knowledge division — Singapore Environment Institute
• Develop the environmental industry & forge greater international partnerships
An Environmentally
Responsible Community
• Encourage 3P (People, Private and Public) sectors partnership
• Reach out and connect with everyone to promote a culture of reducing waste, using energy and
other resources efficiently, making greener consumer and commuting choices
• Organise community environmental activities (e.g. Clean & Green Singapore)
HighStandardofPublicHealth • Ensure high standard of public health and hygiene through comprehensive ground surveillance,
research, and appropriate preventive measures
• Promote socially responsible behaviours & community ownership
• Manage and regulate markets and hawker centres
• Keep vector-borne diseases (e.g. dengue) at bay through educational campaigns, community
engagement, research and routine inspection
Efficient Service Provider • Provide timely & reliable weather information
• Provide care for the dead services
• Continue to pursue corporate & organisational excellence
SUSTAINABILITY IN OUR POLICIES & PUBLIC INITIATIvESSustainable development has always been a top priority for Singapore. As a small country with few natural resources, Singapore has to constantly keep the balance between economic growth and environmental sustainability.
Sustainable Development BlueprintNEA pursues pragmatic environmental solutions to ensure that Singapore continues
to keep its high economic growth rates without sacrificing the quality of our living
environment. The policies we introduce are kept in line with the expectations in the
Sustainable Development Blueprint, which was launched by the Inter-Ministerial
Committee on Sustainable Development (IMCSD) as a national strategy for Singapore’s
sustainable development in the context of emerging domestic and global challenges.
Figure 1 shows the national goals that NEA is working towards as stated in the Sustainable
Development Blueprint.
AREAS OF WORK
Energy — Greater Efficiency
and Diversification
Reduceourenergyintensity(perdollarGDP)by20%from2005levelsby2020,andby
35%from2005levelsby2030
Waste — Towards Zero Landfill Improveourrecyclingratefrom56%in2008to65%in2020and70%in2030
Air Quality — Cleaner Air Reduce the annual mean for ambient fine particulate matter (PM2.5) from 16μg/m3 in
2008 to 12μg/m3 by 2020 and maintain it at this level till 2030
Cap ambient sulphur dioxide (SO2) levels at 15μg/m3 by 2020 and maintain it at this level
till 2030
Capability and Expertise Build Singapore into an outstanding knowledge hub in the latest technology and services
that will help cities grow in a more environmentally friendly way
Environmentally Responsible
Community
Build a community in Singapore where everyone adopts a more environmentally responsible
lifestyle. Environmental responsibility will be part of our people and business culture
Figure 1: Goals by 2030 as stated in Sustainable Development Blueprint
GOALS STATED IN SUSTAINABLE DEvELOPMENT BLUEPRINT
NEA seeks to formulate clear policies and public initiatives
for the long term interest of our environment, society, and
economy. As NEA’s work deals with almost every aspect of
the public’s daily life, we work closely with the community
to jointly realise the sustainable development vision for
Singapore. Figure 2 below highlights some of NEA’s key
efforts to achieve the goals stated in the Sustainable
Development Blueprint.
Sustainability in Our Operations
OUR POLICY DIRECTIONS (in line with the goals stated in the Sustainable Development Blueprint)
Figure 2: NEA’s key work
OUR WORK
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
INSIdE NEA
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INSIdE NEA
Preparing for the future NEA is working to position ourselves to be more relevant,
responsive and resourceful. This is to ensure that NEA can
continue to operate effectively and efficiently and perform
our role to safeguard the environment and nurture an eco-
friendly culture in every generation, such that our present
and future generations will take ownership and cherish our
beautiful, clean, and green environment.
To remain relevant, NEA seeks to keep ourselves well-
informed and prepared for the future by adopting innovative
ways to drive environmental sustainability. This includes
efforts to keep in touch with the ground in our outreach
programmes, to develop a networked approach for faster,
better response and to leverage on technology.
REACHINg OUt tO tHE PUBLICNEA is keenly aware of the need for community support and
we advocate ground-up initiatives in order to encourage the
public to safeguard, nurture, and cherish our environment. We
seek to reach out to as many people as possible, and to put out
a message that is relevant and compelling to a wider audience.
NEA is already leveraging on
technology and new media to
engage the public so that we
can jointly co-create solutions
for environmental issues that
the community needs. Take
for example, NEA uses Twitter
account and myENV app to
push out timely information
such as weather forecasts
and information on dengue
clusters. This empowers the
public to take action to protect
themselves and manage their
dailyactivities.ThemyENVappalsoenablesthepublictotake
and send photos of environmental lapses from their mobile
phones to NEA for follow-up. This complements enforcement
efforts on the ground and leverages crowd-sourcing to help
NEA gather public feedback to safeguard the environment.
Going forward, we will continue to focus on developing
innovative environmental solutions for our outreach
programmes. For instance, to reach out to the public on
dengue prevention, NEA worked with Smart Communities
Beyond that, NEA has also begun to build up capacities to
prepare itself for any potential future threats in different
fields along the likes of nuclear science and climate science.
SUPPORtINg COLLABORAtION, INNOVAtION & tECHNOLOgy fOR tHE fUtURENEA recognises that customising technological solutions
for operations takes time and patience, which is why NEA
has invested in discovering environmental technology, and
funding relevant research and development projects.
NEA embarks on regular envisioning exercises, through
which NEA projects our future challenges, defines the
competencies required and picks out new promising
technological solutions, analysing them for their applicability
to Singapore’s use before launching any further research.
Our partnerships with other research and educational
institutes play a vital role in this process of finding solutions.
For instance, in 2011, two landmark Memorandums of
understanding were signed between NEA and institutes of
higher learning on research and development projects on
environmental areas such as climate modelling, air quality
studies, and adaptation to climate change.
NEA pushes for long-term technological development
with various schemes, including grants. One example
is the Environmental Technology Research Programme
launched in 2009, where S$15 million has been set aside to
support research and development projects relevant to the
environment. Projects covering better waste management
methods to more cost-effective methods of pollution control
have been undertaken so far.
These efforts not only provide solutions to NEA for future
obstacles; they may also lead to new advancements which
may be sought after by other parts of the world.
Controls and checks are put in place to ensure that
sustainable development considerations are made and
included in our business planning cycle. Some of these
controls and checks are as highlighted below:
1. Close monitoring of feedback from the public and their
participation in our activities and events
2. Periodic surveys with our key stakeholders
• 3PPartnershipIndexSurveythroughwhichNEAcan
better understand the level of public awareness and
stakeholder participation, thereby helping us adjust
our programmes and policies accordingly
• thesmokingbanextensionpublicconsultatione-poll
on REACH through which 8,000 members of the
public participated and shared their views
3. Engagement with concerned stakeholders before NEA
puts into place any new policies
• engaging public for feedback on our plans for the
new hawker centres
• consulting industries to seek feedback on the
upcoming Energy Conservation Act
4. Strategic cross-divisional committees
5. Enterprise Risk Management Committee (ERMC)
chaired by CEO. More information on NEA’s risk
management structure and systems can be found in the
Risk Management section on page18
6. Board Strategy Committee to provide oversight and review
of NEA’s strategic directions
7. Routine reporting to Ministry, Chairman, and key officers
besides NEA Management
Pte Ltd on www.x-Dengue.com where people can subscribe
to text message alerts on new areas of dengue transmission.
Besides this, other initiatives in the works include the
development of an app with local start-up Buuuk that would
allow the public to report cleaning lapses to the newly formed
Department of Public Cleanliness.
fOR A fAStER, BEttER RESPONSE tO SAfEgUARd OUR ENVIRONMENtAs environmental issues and crisis increasingly occur on a
larger-scale, emergency preparedness and response have
become critical elements in long-term planning.
NEA has embarked on exploring new advances on technology
to equip itself with better situational awareness and response
capabilities. This effort goes hand in hand with a review of
NEA’s organisational structure, concept of operations, and
operational and service excellence. In the pipeline, systems
are currently being developed and integrated to improve the
management of environmental incidents, crises, resources,
and day-to-day operations.
In one key system being developed, the Integrated
Environment System (IES), environmental sensors in
Singapore will be linked to an integrated system, offering
NEA a complete picture of the environment on the ground
at all times. The IES will form the backbone of our Integrated
Operation Command System and the NEA Operations
Centre, where the response to any environmental incident
or crisis can be more effectively coordinated — from ground
operations to decision-making across the different regional
offices and departments in NEA, and even across different
agencies. With more data consolidated on a common
platform, better analysis and predictive modelling could be
carried out to facilitate pre-emptive measures, as well as
swift and effective responses.
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
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OUR SUSTAINABILITY FRAMEWORk
Our desired outcomes under each of the key work
areas in our framework are:
Environmental Sustainability Pillar
• Toachievearesource-efficientoffice
• To achieve a clean and eco-friendly working
environment
Financial Sustainability Pillar
• Toensureresponsibleprocurement, investments
and operations
Social Sustainability Pillar
• Tohavegoodworkplacehealthandsafety
• Tohaveanexpertandprofessionalworkforce
• Toachievestrongcorporatesocialresponsibility
Engagement
• Toachieveahighlevelofpublictrust
• ForallstafftobeNEAambassadors
Sustainability Framework
NEA strives to be the leading agency in sustainability practices for the benefit of our environment, economy, and community — today,
for tomorrow.
ENgAgEMENt
fINANCIAL ENVIRONMENtAL SOCIAL
“Having a sustainability framework provides a unified ideology behind our efforts in driving sustainability within our agency,” says Mr Andrew Tan, Chief Executive Officer, NEA
NEA strives to be the leading agency in sustainable practices
for the benefit of our environment, economy and community
— today, for tomorrow.
As shown in the diagram below, the basis of NEA’s
sustainability framework is classified under four guiding
principles:
• W — Walk the Talk
• I — Innovate for Sustainability
• S — Share with the Community
• E — Embed Sustainability
W.I.S.E. provides the foundational discipline to support the
organisation’s key work pillars — Environmental Sustainability,
Financial Sustainability and Social Sustainability — under
which NEA prioritises its work on sustainability and
implements new initiatives.
Similar to NEA’s public outreach programme — where NEA
emphasises on stakeholders’ engagement — NEA values and
recognises the importance of engaging its staff, suppliers,
working partners, and the community at large in our internal
sustainability programme.
Achieving sustainability within organisations
is no longer a mere peripheral goal. It is
inextricably linked with major decision
making practices that determine long term
productivity, efficient use of resources
and the well-being of employees. Director
(Sustainability Office), Mr Dalson Chung, explains the importance
of having a Sustainability Office to drive systemic changes in this
growing foray within the organisation.
Director (Sustainability Office), would you like to share
some key challenges the Sustainability Office has faced
and the solutions implemented to drive sustainability
within NEA?
NEA is a large organisation with more than 3,000 staff located
at 14 offices in Singapore. Reaching out to all staff and getting
buy-in from them on the new concept of sustainability is indeed
a challenge. This would necessitate a change of mindset of
performing our work.
To reach out to our staff, Sustainability Office adopts short,
succinct and universal messaging. Take for example, we use
an acronym, W.I.S.E., for our guiding principles on sustainability:
W.I.S.E. refers to Walking the talk, Innovate for sustainability,
Share with the community and Embed sustainability. Its purpose
is to make it easier for staff to remember so as to help them
embrace sustainability in all areas of their work.
How do you perceive the role of staff engagement in
achieving NEA’s sustainability targets?
Staff engagement is the most important step in driving
sustainability within NEA. The success of having a sustainability
culture will need both top-down drive and bottom-up support
and commitment. Many staff engagement channels were set up
in FY11 to allow staff to offer feedback on NEA’s sustainability
efforts. Engagement channels include a discussion forum and
voting booth on NEA’s Intranet, CEO Townhall, together with the
Eco-Office Champions and Sustainability Champions network.
Initiatives like the 8 Effective Habits 10% Challenge for
staff also help to reinforce our environmental sustainability
messaging and provide opportunity for staff participation. It is
heartening to see staff taking ownership and volunteering to
drive sustainability initiatives which they believe in.
Any plans to take these even further?
In FY11, NEA started small by taking a deeper look at our day-
to-day work to try to inculcate good environment-friendly habits
among staff, reduce wastage, and use resources efficiently.
In the next few years, NEA would work towards incorporating
more aspects of sustainability in the formulation of strategies,
policies and decision-making processes. We also look to expand
our engagement plans to include other stakeholders like the
community and our suppliers.
What is your vision?
I believe sustainability is slowly taking a deeper root within
NEA. My wish is for NEA to be a leading agency that adopts
sustainable practices for the benefit of our environment,
economy, and community. I’m sure you’ve already heard this but
just to reiterate, it’s all about sustaining today's environment, for
tomorrow generation.
Do you have any tips to share with other organisations that
are interested to embark on their journey of sustainability?
Sustainability is a journey. It is an ongoing, iterative and reflective
long term process involving continual inquiry and commitment
to continuous improvement. I believe that senior management’s
support and commitment, staff buy-in and involvement as well
as a clear and comprehensive sustainability framework are the
three critical success factors for one’s journey of sustainability.
Take NEA for example, our governing structure for sustainability
had helped drive changes and translate our plans into actions.
Without a formal structure, senior management’s commitment
and various engagement channels, I believe it would take us
twice the time to achieve where we are now.
In fact, I believe that most organisations are already
unconsciously practising sustainability in one way or another.
So, the next natural step forward is to systematically consolidate
one’s existing efforts in an easy to understand sustainability
framework which enables one to easily identify gaps, optimise
the use of existing resources in implementing new initiatives for
sustainability and monitor progress. This is what NEA has done
and will be doing, and I hope that by sharing our experience
through this sustainability report, more organisations can come
onboard this journey of sustainability.
TheLeader’sPointofView:TacklingSustainabilityIssuesHead-on
(Walk the Talk, Innovate for Sustainability, Share with the Community, Embed Sustainability in NEA)
NEA’S GUIDING PRINCIPLES — W.I.S.E.
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NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
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The ERM Committee (ERMC) reviews risk management
policies, procedures, assessments, and treatment plans, and
provides overall leadership and guidance. The ERMC is chaired
by the Chief Executive Officer (NEA). Its members include
senior management (known as Risk Owners), Head (Legal),
department representatives (known as Department Risk
Champions),andHead(InternalAudit)whoactsasanobserver
to the meeting and provides inputs on audit issues related to
risk management when necessary.
High-leveloversightofERMActivitiesisprovidedbytheBoardof
Directors, to whom the ERMC reports through the Board Audit
Committee. Fraud, misconduct, and key operational risks are
some examples of the Board’s area of expertise.
Identifying, assessing, and monitoring key strategic risks and
treatment plans would fall under the responsibility of Risk Owners.
Process owners are the ones that provide risk content (causes,
consequences, controls) and are also involved in implementing
and keeping watch on the effectiveness of risk treatment plans.
Each department has a Risk Champion acting as a risk
representative who administers risk policies and procedures
at the departmental level along with documenting risks and
related control plans in their own department’s risk register.
Risk registers are regularly updated and subsequently collated
from all departments for the purpose of mapping strategic and
key operational risks into a risk map. The risk map provides the
ERMC with a quick overview of the top priority risks that NEA
faces, allowing the ERMC to observe the full effectiveness of
control plans in managing risks.
More risks have been encroaching on NEA’s watch in recent
years.Higherpublicexpectations,higherstandards,moreeffective
operations, citizen-centric policies, mounting environmental
challenges, new work areas, and technology changes are just
some of the key challenges NEA faces on a day-to-day basis in an
increasingly complex and dynamic environment.
These risks not only directly impact and influence NEA’s public
policies and programmes, but also on how NEA as an organisation
prepares itself to be sustainable and future-ready.
Proper risk management enables NEA to identify and address
possible risks up front and helps reduce the impact of the risk in
the event it materialises. In view of the diversity of work handled
by NEA, it is important that NEA approaches risk management in
a holistic and effective manner. Otherwise, the combined impacts
of risks could derail the pursuit of our strategic objectives and
damage our reputation.
NEA recognises the importance of a structured and integrated
framework for oversight of key enterprise risks as part of
good corporate governance and strategic planning. We have
therefore embarked on the Enterprise Risk Management
(ERM) journey—since December 2006, bringing KPMG on
board as our consultant for the project.
PURPOSE Of IMPLEMENtINg ERM
The purpose of implementing ERM is to enable NEA to identify,
assess, prioritise, and treat its key strategic risks on an on-going
basis. It also aims to enhance:
• Risk Awareness — by providing an integrated view of
the combined impact of different risks in the organisation,
thereby breaking down silo thinking in managing risks
• Risk Ownership — by providing a formalised structure
to assign accountability for key risks and their mitigating
measures or action plans
• Proactive Risk Management — by providing a structured
and robust management tool to enable more proactive risk
management in order to minimise risk, optimise resources,
and seize opportunities
NEA’S ERM APPROACH
NEA’s ERM Reporting Approach clearly defines our respective
roles and authorities in establishing an ERM framework distinct
to our organisation.
Direct responding line Two-way exchange of information
Board of directors
Audit Committee
ERM Committee
Risk Owners
Process Owner Process OwnerProcess Owner
Risk Champion
Internal Audit/
Compliance
RISk MANAGEMENT
Why is this a major risk to Singaporeans?Dengue fever infects 50 to 100 million people worldwide every year, with half a million life threatening infections. Its frequency has increased by 30-fold between 1960 and 2010. This increase is believed to be due to a combination of urbanisation, population growth, increased international travel, and global warming.
The virus can cause fever, severe headaches, joint and muscular pains, vomiting, diarrhoea and rashes. There is currently no vaccine or drug for dengue.
Singapore is both vulnerable and receptive to dengue as: a. Singapore is located in a dengue endemic region (Asia and the
Pacific region).
b. As Singapore has a high population density, any dengue outbreak has the potential to spread very quickly.
c. The Aedes mosquito thrives well in Singapore’s highly built-up and urbanised environment.
d. Our years of successful dengue control have resulted in a low herd immunity in our population.
e. Singapore’s position as an international transport hub allow for easy importation of the disease.
f. The dengue fever problem may worsen because of higher temperatures and changes in viral strains.
There were 5,330 cases of dengue in Singapore in 2011. A major dengue outbreak is one of the risks faced by NEA.
What is done to control the situation?NEA adopts an integrated evidence-based dengue control strategy comprising vector surveillance and control, laboratory surveillance and research, risk assessments, legislation and enforcement, and community outreach and mobilisation to maintain low incidence of dengue in Singapore. It is not possible to eradicate either the virus or the vector from any country. The key to successful dengue control is thus to remove all
possible mosquito breeding habitats (i.e. reduction at source) so that mosquitoes do not breed. NEA carries out active virus surveillance on patient blood samples submitted by primary healthcare providers, to track the serotypes circulating in the community. This provides early warning of any switch in predominant serotype, which is typically associated with outbreaks.
One important component of NEA’s dengue surveillance and control programme is the development of a set of Focus Areas, using a risk assessment approach based on the principles of dengue epidemiology, as well as Aedes ecology and behaviour. A selection of risk factors which include the level of herd immunity, circulating serotypes, vector distribution, age of the estates, demographic information etc., is analysed using a Geographic Information System, and the resultant areas considered to have relatively higher epidemic potential are marked out as Focus Areas. This regular risk assessment enables NEA to effectively deploy our resources to carry out vector control operations.
In Nov 2011, NEA also embarked on an enhanced two-pronged communication approach that incorporates both national level publicity programmes and target-group specific programmes for dengue outreach. The national level programme addresses the general public through an aggressive communications strategy via the local media through posters at bus shelters and MRT stations, advertisements in newspapers, as well as dengue messaging on radio and TV. Target-group specificprogrammes zoom in to engage different segments of the population in preventing dengue. Such an approach enhances our existing dengue control operations with greater emphasis on education and outreach efforts to households.
Can we say that the preventive measures & risk-based approaches have been effective?
Through a network of general practitioners all over the island, NEA’s Environmental Health Institute (EHI)’s active laboratory surveillancesystem enabled us to detect the rapid switch in dengue serotype that warned us of an outbreak in 2007.
NEA has also managed to buck the rising dengue trend since 2008. From 2007–2011, the number of dengue cases were 8,826, 7,031, 4,497, 5,363, and 5,330 respectively.
Dengue Outbreak: Managing the Risks
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MONITORINGPROGRESS
To better manage risks and identify opportunities,
NEA systematically tracks and reviews the organisation’s
performance and approach to sustainability.
MATERIALITY MATRIxNational Environment Agency (NEA) believes that our drive
for sustainability within the organisation can help us better
manage risks and identify opportunities.
However,giventhewidespectrumofissuestobeaddressed
under sustainability, NEA recognises the need to prioritise
our efforts in order to optimise our resources to best
manage our risks.
NEA has thus utilised two different modus operandi: (1) a
detailed analysis of our current situation to identify risks
and opportunities related to driving sustainability within the
organisation, and (2) an analysis of our priority stakeholders,
which NEA follows up with surveys — the Organisation Climate
Survey and the 3P Partnership Index Survey 2010/11. These
approaches have helped NEA determine the relevance and
significance of an issue to us and our stakeholders and thus
the key issues to address.
In line with our sustainability framework, the Sustainability
Committee agreed to focus on the following four main issues
for a start. These are issues rated of highest importance by
both our Sustainability Champions and stakeholders due to
their significant environmental, economic, and social impact.
• Create a more resource-efficient office through promotion
of energy conservation, waste minimisation and
recycling
Significance of Environmental, Economic and Social Impacts
A Glimpse into Our Planning Considerations
AN ANALYSIS OF OUR CURRENT SITUATIONThe Sustainability Committee has identified the following as key issues to address and their corresponding initiatives on sustainability to be implemented.
This analysis helps NEA identify risks and opportunities related to driving sustainability within the organisation.
KEY ISSUES OUR APPROACH OPPORTUNITIES
Increased public expectations for NEA to be
the champion for environment and to walk
the talk, especially in view of upcoming NEA
legislation requiring large premises and sites
to report on their consumption in the coming
years
Drive both hardware and "heartware" changes
to achieve environmental sustainability within
NEA
Continue to innovate for sustainability and
explore possibilities to rely on technology in
our drive for sustainability
Report on our progress in our sustainability
reports
An opportunity for NEA to experiment
first-hand the issues that might arise with
implementation and to gain public trust for
our policies
Growing trend in embracing sustainability in
the private sector, especially with the release
of Singapore Exchange (SGX) guidelines
on sustainability reporting since July 2011.
We are expecting similar trends in the public
sector over time
Being the first public agency to report on
sustainability gives NEA the maximum lead
time to further fine-tune our efforts
Enable NEA to identify areas for improvement
through sustainability reporting
The need to comply with the Public
Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental
Sustainability (PSTLES) initiative
Ensure that NEA meets the minimum
environmental requirements
Global environmental trends — scarcity of
resources, climate change, increase in prices
of resources, limited landfill space, seeking
low carbon economy and increasing pace of
technology development
An opportunity for NEA, a ‘business unit’ for
the Singapore government, to do our part for
the environment
Reduce any financial implications by adopting
proper risk management system
An opportunity to rely on technologies to
enhance our operations
• Intensify our engagement with staff in the hope that
they can be ardent environmental ambassadors for NEA
• Inculcate a stronger sense of corporate social
responsibility and leverage on this movement to
increase staff engagement and promote NEA’s core
values
• Enhance our talent management initiatives
Prio
rity
base
d on
Sta
keho
lder
s (S
taff
) Fe
edba
ck
LOW HIgH
HIgH
Cleanliness- Anti-Littering- Clean Toilet- Dengue Prevention
Pollution Prevention & Control
Green Procurement
Reduce C02
Environment Friendly Events (internal & external)
Green Transport
Invest in Sustainability
Workplace Safety
Work-Life Harmony
Waste Minimisation & Recycling
Energy Conservation
Corporate Social Responsibility
Talent Management
Water Conservation
Green Building
Materia
l topics
Relative
Reporti
ng Priorit
y
The materiality matrix is supported by the Steering Committee
for Sustainability, forming the basis of our sustainability
initiatives and reporting programmes.
NEA will continue to closely monitor the changes in national
and global trends, risks, and stakeholders’ feedback to work
out our future material issues; optimise our resources to best
manage our risks and create new opportunities for NEA.
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National drive in productivity and innovation to
maximise output per human capital
Emphasise on innovation in every aspect of
NEA’s drive for sustainability
Put in place initiatives in line with national
drive for productivity
An opportunity to advance in business
excellence practices
Impact of an aging population on NEA’s
manpower requirements
Continue to enhance work life harmony and
talent management initiatives
Ability to extend the working life of our
employees
Need to meet rising expectations from staff
on issues related to work life harmony and job
satisfaction
Good for staff well-being and retention
Broadening of NEA’s role from an enforcer
role to a facilitator and partnership role
Increase emphasis on developing soft skills
under talent management programme
More diverse work scope provides staff with
more choices within NEA to pursue their
career
Raising staff expectations and growing
demand for engagement
Emphasise on engagement in every aspect of
NEA’s drive for sustainability
Ride on existing engagement platforms and
create new ones
Good for staff retention and a chance to
reinforce NEA’s corporate culture
Possibility of attracting suitable talent to join
NEA
A need to strengthen our corporate culture Inculcate our core values in our drive for
sustainability
KEY GROUP OF STAKEHOLDERS ENGAGEMENT CHANNELS
Our Staff • Existing and new internal engagement platforms (e.g. CEO Townhall, Intranet, etc.)
Public Agencies • NEA’s Sustainability Report
• 3P Partnership Index Survey
Business Community • NEA’s Sustainability Report
• 3P Partnership Index Survey
• To continue supporting key partners like Singapore Compact and Singapore Business
Federation in their drive to promote sustainability to the business community
There will be continual efforts to annually review the above and ensure that our sustainability efforts address upcoming
trends and risks.
PRIORITISING OUR STAKEHOLDERS
NEA realises the importance of engagement with its
stakeholders, which is why we have segmented them into
three key groups to bring out the best resources allocation.
The selection of stakeholders is based on the above
mentioned risk analysis, and is driven by the need for NEA
to walk the talk and implement vital internal measures.
NEA conducted its biannual Organisation Climate
Survey (OCS) in the first half of 2011. This was an
independent survey partnership between the Civil
Service College and Towers Watson to help the
management understand how employees perceived
their work environment, along with the way decisions
and executions were made in the organisation.
The survey was a replacement of our previous Employee
Engagement Survey (EES) and covered a wider scope
of topics such as capturing staff perceptions on key
organisational issues as well as enquiring their views
towards NEA’s mission, core values, work processes and
systems, changes within the organization, so on and so
forth. With these results in hand, we used it to craft NEA’s
FY11/12 approach on internal sustainability.
About 72 per cent of NEA’s staff responded to the survey.
When the results were compared with EES (2008), it
showed that staff were generally more appreciative of
NEA’s efforts to encourage flexibility in work schedules
andcooperationwithinNEA.However, therewasstilla
need to enhance NEA’s culture even further and realise
additional staff engagement.
The survey results were also benchmarked against PS
EES Norm, a set of targeted benchmarks of employee
perceptions around engagement and its key drivers
across Singapore Public Sector agencies and the Towers
Watson Singapore National Norm. In comparison, the
results highlighted that NEA did well in learning and
development work but similarly, there would be a need to
strengthen our corporate culture and be more proactive
in the area of staff engagement
This does not, however, indicate that other groups of
stakeholders (e.g. NGOs, tertiary institutions, suppliers, etc.)
are neglected. NEA has set sights to eventually broaden
our engagement with other groups of stakeholders.
To better understand the expectations from the three
key groups of stakeholders, NEA has conducted the
Organisation Climate Survey and the 3P Partnership
Index Survey 2010/11.
ORGANISATION CLIMATE SURvEY (STAKEHOLDERS: STAFF)
3P PARTNERSHIP INDEx SURvEY 2010/11 (STAKEHOLDERS: PUBLIC AGENCIES & PARTNERS)
The 3P Partnership Index Survey 2010/11 was
commissioned by NEA from December 2010 to January
2011 in hopes of measuring developments and changes
in our working partnerships throughout the year. It
provides an indication of the current level of awareness
and participation in NEA’s 3P programmes and activities
among our partners (e.g. staff, government organisations,
private companies, business association) in the People-
Public-Private sector.
The survey results suggested that for the past year, our
partners participated and were interested in activities
related to waste minimisation, recycling, energy
conservation and environmental training sessions.
When measured against the 2007/08 survey, there was
also a noted increase in the number of organisations
that would like to see a higher level of participation in
environmental programmes among their staff.
NEA’s materiality matrix is thus crafted to take into account our staff feedback and our partners’ areas of interests
(specifically on waste minimisation, recycling, and energy conservation). NEA will pay particular attention to ensure
that we walk the talk and lead by example in these areas.
KEY ISSUES OUR APPROACH OPPORTUNITIES
MONItORINg PROgRESS
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
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2524
REPORTING BOUNdARYNEA’s first Sustainability Report is drafted in accordance
to the Global Reporting Initiatives 3.1 Guidelines and the
Sector Supplement for Public Agencies (pilot version 1.0).
SCOPEThe report focuses on NEA’s framework and processes
in place to drive sustainability and elaborates on the
sustainability initiatives implemented within NEA, with brief
mention of our nationwide policies and initiatives — lucid
illustrations on how NEA walks the talk.
More information on our nationwide policies and initiatives,
together with our financial statements, will be made available
in our Annual Report.
This report also documents the organisation’s key internal
sustainability performance in FY11 (1 April 2011 to 31 March
2012), encompassing over 3,000 in manpower strength
spanning across 14 key premises. They are listed accordingly2:
• NEA Offices at Environment Building
• FiveNEARegionalOffices
• TwoIncinerationPlantslocatedatTuasSouth&Tuas
• SemakauLandfill
• TuasMarinaTransferStation
• Environmental Health Institute Premise at Helios
Building in Biopolis
• MeteorologicalServicesDivisionPremiseatChangi
• ChoaChuKangCrematoriumandColumbarium
• MandaiCrematoriumandColumbarium
MAIN SECtIONS IN REPORtIn line with NEA’s three action themes of “Safeguard, Nurture,
and Cherish”, the main sections of this Sustainability Report
are as follows:
• Safeguarding Our Environment, Finances and
Workplace touches on the organisation’s internal
efforts to comply with existing environmental guidelines
and benchmarks, ensure responsible procurements
and investments, and champion a safe and conducive
environment for our staff to work in, thereby driving
sustainability to a greater height within NEA and bringing
about impactful changes for a more resource-efficient
office and a better working environment for our staff.
• Nurturing An Eco-Friendly Culture, Our People
and Operational Excellence hinges on the act of
cultivating an eco-friendly culture where a purposeful
consciousness naturally evolves into second nature,
encouraging work-life harmony, learning and innovation,
and cultivating a risk culture within NEA.
• Cherishing Today for a Better Tomorrow has a
deeper focus on driving home a sense of appreciation,
promoting sustainability through staff engagement, and
active involvement within the community.
ESSENtIAL INfORMAtIONThis Sustainability Report reports on NEA’s processes,
framework, initiatives, and FY11 performance with regards
to driving sustainability within NEA. This report serves as the
backbone for all our future mentions on NEA’s sustainability
efforts, which we will continue to build on, unless stated
otherwise, based on the framework and processes mentioned
in this report.
The Sustainability Report will be an annual publication to
update on any of our initiatives and performance. NEA does
not rule out the possibility of integrating this report into our
future annual report, in view of the upcoming trend which
favours an integrated report.
We hope this document would be useful reference material
for other organisations or government agencies looking
to benchmark their own efforts; notably those seeking to
embark on their own journey of sustainability and in doing
so, produce their own Sustainability Reports.
ENQUIRIESFor further enquires, feel free to contact the NEA
Sustainability Office through our NEA Call Centre hotline:
1800-CALL NEA (1800-2255 632)
2 The consumption data for the new Meteorological Services Division
premise — Upper Air Observatory — along Kim Chuan Road (opened on
23 Mar 2012) and hawker centres that are currently managed by NEA
are not included in the scope of this report.
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
MONItORINg PROgRESS MONItORINg PROgRESS
2726
AWARdS & BENChMARkS
NEA’s drive for sustainability started since the formation of
NEA in 2002 and our efforts have built up over the years.
Since 2005, NEA has been a signatory of the uN
Global Compact. NEA now stands alongside 8,700 other
organisations from over 130 countries to carry out ten
universally accepted principles that cover the areas of human
rights, labour, environment and anti-corruption.
Sustainability is fundamental in NEA’s journey for business
excellence. NEA has seen ourselves certified in SPRING
standards of Singapore Quality Class (SQC), People
Developer (PD), Service-Class (S-Class) and Innovation-
Class (I-Class). In addition, NEA is ISO 9001 certified, with
zero non-conformance for the last five consecutive audits.
NEA’s key industrial installations like our incineration plants
and Tuas Marine Transfer Station are also ISO14001 certified.
In FY11, we made some significant progress in our journey
of environmental and social sustainability. They are
highlighted as follows:
• NEA’s newest purpose-built meteorological service facility
along Kim Chuan Road, boasts green features such as
solar panels as well as a rain-harvested irrigation system.
It went on to receive the BCA Greenmark Gold award
three days after its opening on 23 March 2012.
Find out more about the various Business Excellence certifications:Singapore Quality Class (SQC)
NEA has drawn up a holistic model for managing
a business for excellence based on the following
seven categories drawn out in SQC’s internationally
benchmarked business excellence framework:
• Leadership
• Planning
• Information
• People
• Processes
• Customers
• Results
using the business excellence framework, NEA
seeks to align our strategies, processes, and culture
with our mission and vision and coordinate efforts
among NEA’s numerous divisions and departments
to further drive performance.
We are pleased to be certified SQC, and aim to build
on our SQC effort, setting up the foundations for our
next milestone, the premier Singapore Quality Award
(SQA), which identifies organisations that have met
world class standards in business excellence.
The journey for business excellence is still unfolding
within NEA. We will keep up our relentless pursuit for
greater excellence and higher standards.
People Developer
PD is an official national certification that acknowledges
organisations with systems and processes in place to
achieve excellence through people. Similar to SQC,
NEA will be up for a mid-term review — in the 18th
month — followed by a renewal process at the end of
three years.
ISO 9001
Being internationally recognised for the standard of
quality management of business, the attainment of
ISO 9001 has raised the game in our organisational
commitment on the global front. Correcting product
or service deficiencies will not only improve efficiency
and productivity, but will also bring about significant
cost savings.
• NEA had all 14 premises recertified as Eco-Offices by
the Singapore Environment Council. The certification
echoes the organisation’s pledge to implement effective
environment-friendly practices internally. It also allows us
to recognise staff in their continual efforts to conserve
water and energy as well as minimise and recycle waste
whenever possible — over a period of two years.
• All premises owned by NEA were awarded the Water
Efficient Building label by the Public utilities Board — the
national water agency, one of the requirements under
the Public Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental
Sustainability initiative.
• Within the sphere of human
resource, we secured the AARP
Best Employers for Workers
over 50 Award (International) for
our enlightened management
practices in the recruitment, engagement, development,
and re-employment of mature workers.
• Havingmadethetop100employersfornewgraduates
for the first time this year was also an encouraging
acknowledgement.
• Other recognitions include being official finalists for the
followingthreeHRMAwards:KaplanProfessionalAward
for Best Training, Learning and Development, Best Mature
WorkforcePractices,andBestWork-LifeHarmony.
NEA seeks to benchmark our internal efforts on sustainability
by comparing with our industry peers and industry
standards. Take for example, for business excellence,
our human resources policies are benchmarked against
those implemented by companies that had obtained the
Singapore Quality Award and/or our peers from the public
sector. Another is our effort to benchmark our efforts on
environmental sustainability against those that are awarded
the Eco-Office Label and/or those that have obtained the
BCA Green Mark award.
NEA is no stranger in the sustainability area, always keeping
track on fresh developments and lending support to key
sustainability initiatives in Singapore. Notable ones would
include the Singapore Compact Awards for Corporate Social
Responsibility, ACCA Sustainability Reporting Awards, as
well as the Singapore Environment Council’s Green Summit.
NEA will continue its efforts to benchmark our work
on sustainability and promote sustainability to the
business community.
MONItORINg PROgRESS
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
MONItORINg PROgRESS
2928
SUSTAINABILITYREPORT CARD
ENVIRONMENTAL INDICATORS FY09 FY10 FY11 TARGETS PROGRESS
Total electricity used per Monthly Rated Employee at NEA office buildings ( HQ, ROs, EHI& MSS) in kWh/MRE/yr
2369.71 2210.44 2136.32
To reduce NEA’s total electricity consumption by 10% below business-as-usual levels in FY16
P
Total electricity used per Monthly Rated Employee at NEA industrial premises (IPs, Semakau Landfill, Crematorium & Columbarium) in kWh/MRE/yr
(including electricity that NEA generated at the IPs for use at the IPs)
13609.51 14193.97 15155.63*
P
Energy Efficiency Index of NEA premises ( HQ & ROs)in kWh/m2/yr
111.61 109.22 110.00 To achieve Energy Efficiency Index of 154 kWh/m2/yr for office buildings (Using BCA Green Mark Platinum as benchmark)
P
Total water used per Monthly Rated Employee in m3/MRE/yr
31.44 31.28 33.33To reduce NEA’s total water consumption by 10% below business-as-usual levels in FY16
P
Total water used per Monthly Rated Employee at NEA industrial premises (IPs, Semakau Landfill, Crematorium & Columbarium) in m3/MRE/year
130.25 143.61 137.28*P
Total amount of paper purchased per Monthly Rated Employee in number of A4 reams/MRE/yr
6.52 5.72 4.65 To reduce paper purchased by 10% from FY10 levels by FY16
P
Legend: P In progress & on track to comply P Complied with PSTLES. Measures in place to sustain efforts N/A Premises not required under PSTLES to comply with requirements
* Electricity & water consumption at NEA industrial premises is directly correlated to factors beyond NEA’s control (e.g. amount and type of waste being burnt, the number of after death services required, etc.). Note that all the energy consumed at the incineration plants (IPs) is self-generated by the waste burnt at the incineration plants.
Legend: P in progress & on track to meet target P Met target. Measures in place to sustain efforts
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NEA HQ (Environment Building) P P P P P P
Central Regional Office P N/A P P P P
North East Regional Office P N/A P P P P
North West Regional Office P N/A P P P P
South East Regional Office P N/A P P P P
South West Regional Office P N/A P P P P
EHI (Biopolis) P N/A P N/A P P
MSD (Main Office at Changi) P N/A P N/A P P
CCK Columbarium & Crematorium P N/A P P P P
Mandai Crematorium & Columbarium P N/A P P P P
Mount Vernon Columbarium P N/A P P N/A P
Yishun Columbarium P N/A P P N/A P
TSIP P P P P P P
TIP P P P P P P
TMTS P N/A P P P P
Semakau Landfill P N/A P P P P
Met. Svcs Upper Air Observatory (newly opened in Mar 2012) P N/A P P P P
PSTLES REQUIREMENTS
** The increase in recruitment is mainly due to the creation of new positions in 2011
*** Due to implementation of structured courses and briefings in preparation for the DRE job re-design initiative
**** Due to the implementation of a one-off CSR initiative
KEY SOCIAL INDICATORS FY09 FY10 FY11
Average staff (Monthly Rated Employees (MREs) and
Daily Rated Employees (DREs)) strength
3307 3343** 3387**
Annual MREs turnover rate in % 6.3 6.4 6.6
Annual DREs turnover rate in % 0.9 1 0.8
Annual staff (MREs and DREs) turnover rate in % 5 5 5.4
Days of medical leave taken per staff ( MREs and DREs) 8 6.8 5.3
TALENT MANAGEMENT
Percentage of MREs that attained 40 or more training hours 85 79 79
Percentage of DREs that attained 40 or more training hours 67*** 74*** 40
Average training hours per staff (MREs and DREs) in hrs 69 70 58
Total staff (MREs and DREs) training hours 230,401 235,891 195,376
WORKPLACE HEALTH & SAFETY
Number of cases of work-related fatalities 0 0 0
Number of cases of work-related accidents 40 53 58
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY
Total corporate-wide cash or in-kind contributions $436,785 $613,752 $542,361
Percentage of employee volunteering per year 26.34**** 8.54 10.70
Number of community hours logged by staff volunteers 2111**** 917 1333
KEY REQUIREMENTS UNDER THE PUBLIC SECTOR TAKING THE LEAD IN ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY (PSTLES) INITIATIVE
NEA PREMISES
NEA SUSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
MONITORING PROGRESS MONITORING PROGRESS
3130
SAFEGUARdINGNEA works hand-in-hand with our staff to lay a strong foundation for us
to safeguard our environment, finances and workplace.
We seek to be a resource-efficient office, encourage financial prudence
and higher productivity in our work, and create a safe and
conducive environment for our staff to work in.
OUR ENvIRONMENT
To achieve long-term environmental sustainability, NEA aims to inculcate green habits
among staff and encourage innovation for sustainability through our 8 Effective Habits
10% Challenge. Moreinformationonthe8EffectiveHabits10%Challengeonpage50
3
The Public Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental Sustainability (PSTLES)
initiative states the basic environmental sustainability requirements that public sector agencies
should comply with. To be a resource-efficient office, NEA seeks to comply with and, if possible,
exceed the requirements stated under the PSTLES initiative. 1
NEA looks to further benchmark ourselves with the best and welcome third-party assessment
and recommendations on ways NEA can further improve our resource management and
environmental sustainability initiatives through our effort in achieving the Eco-Office Label. 2
As a champion for the environment, it is imperative that we
at National Environment Agency (NEA) set a good example
by walking the talk and innovating for sustainability. Our
focus in FY11 has been to be more resource efficient
and to intensify staff involvement so that they can be
active environmental ambassadors who can further help
spread environmental messages to the community.
The following are key programmes through which NEA
drives environmental sustainability within our organisation:
Promoting Environment Sustainability — Our Key Initiatives
Key Environmental Risks in NEA
In accordance with the country’s land zoning policy due to Singapore’s land conundrum, NEA’s premises are strategically located at specific zoning areas. For example, NEA’s headquarters and regional offices are located in commercial or light industrial zones while outposts such as the Tuas South Incineration Plant and Tuas Marina Transfer Station — where barges depart for Semakau Landfill — are amongst heavy industries. Such a land zoning policy helps to segregate higher risk environmental activities from risk sensitive areas like residential estates and delicate natural habitats.
ENvIRONMENTAL IMPACTS FROM NEA ACTIvITIES
THE IMPACT:Emissions and discharges from incineration processes at incineration plants
MITIGATION / SOLUTIONS:
• Adopted design features to minimise air and water pollution
• Incorporated effective flue gas treatment and cleaning system to further reduce emission of pollutants — e.g. catalyst impregnated bag filters for dioxin removal
• Implemented continuous and telemetric monitoring system for air emissions that is linked to the regulatory unit
RESULTS:
• Met regulatory limits and surpassed some limits
• No water pollution
• No smoky emissions from the chimneys
• No odour problem
THE IMPACT:Impact on biodiversity at Semakau Landfill
MITIGATION / SOLUTIONS:
• Replanted two plots of mangroves totalling 136,000m2 on the fringes of the perimeter bund as the construction of offshore Semakau Landfill affected the mangroves
• Implemented system to monitor biodiversity conditions
• Ongoing planting and landscaping to beautify the landfill
RESULTS:
• Since Semakau Landfill began operations on 1 April 1999, the replanted mangroves and remaining natural habitats have assimilated well to their new environment.
• The western coast of Semakau is now a scenic and idyllic location with pristine waters, fresh air, and a natural green environment teeming with biodiversity.
• The site is currently operational as a landfill and recreational destination for activities such as sport fishing, intertidal walks, bird watching, and stargazing.
THE IMPACT:Day-to-day operations with increasing consumption of electricity, water and paper resources
MITIGATION / SOLUTIONS:
• Implemented initiatives like the Eco-Office Label programme and 8 EffectiveHabits10%Challengetosystematicallyreduceenergyandwater consumption and cut down on paper purchased
RESULTS:
• Consumption is less than the business-as-usual levels, based on the various environmental indications as shown in NEA's Sustainability Repot Card in Page 30
• Increased staff ownership and interest to cut back on consumption underthe8EffectiveHabits10%Challenge
NEA has examined our operations and identified three key NEA activities that we believe have significant impacts to our environment. They are as listed below, along with our corresponding mitigation measures and results to date.
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All public agencies in Singapore are required to comply with
the requirements under the Public Sector Taking the Lead
in Environmental Sustainability (PSTLES) initiative. under
its requirements, public agencies have to conduct energy
audits for bigger outposts, set up the necessary recycling
programmes, and achieve the Water Efficient Building Label
as well as a host of others. NEA works closely with the
PSTLES team to ensure that the requirements are updated
and in line with NEA’s national push for energy efficiency
and resource management.
NEA uses the requirements under the PSTLES to guide our
internal efforts to be resource efficient. We are on track to
comply with all the PSTLES requirements.
In 2011, we have set ourselves higher targets, exceeding
those mapped out in PSTLES. One area is to reduce
Public Sector Taking the Lead in Environmental Sustainability Energy Efficiency Made a Reality
In light that an air-conditioning system typically
contributes 50 to 60 per cent of an office building’s
energy consumption, it is imperative that the chilled
water plant system is energy efficient so as to achieve
long-term savings and reduce operational costs.
In line with NEA’s national efforts to promote energy
efficiency, under the Public Sector Taking the Lead
in Environmental Sustainability (PSTLES) initiative, all
public sector buildings with more than 10,000m² of air-
conditioned floor areas are required to undergo an energy
audit and achieve an air-conditioning plant Coefficient
of Performance (C.O.P) of 5.4 or better. (A C.O.P. of 5.4
corresponds to a chilled-water plant efficiency of 0.65
kW/ton.)
NEA aims to lead by example and has undertaken the
following to comply with PSTLES:
i) Environment Building
NEA has been working closely with the Ministry of
the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR)
since the beginning of 2011 on a Guaranteed
Energy Savings Performance (GESP) contract which
would retrofit the central chilled water plant at the
Environment Building.
Trane Pte Ltd, an accredited Energy Services
Company (ESCO), was engaged to carry out the
investment grade energy audit as well as subsequent
implementation (by Q4 2012) of the chilled water
plant retrofit measures. The energy audit was
completed in December 2011.
under the GESP contracting model, Trane will
install highly accurate permanent measurement and
verification instruments for continuous tracking and
monitoring of the chilled water plant’s efficiency.
upon completion, Trane will be obliged to guarantee
an efficiency rating better than 0.60 kW/ton over
a period of five years — failing which will result in a
penalty for the ESCO. As cited below in the chilled
water plant efficiency chart, the guaranteed efficiency
is within the ‘Excellent’ range.
ii) NEA’s Infrastructure Facilities
As part of the PSTLES initiative, infrastructure facilities,
namely NEA’s incineration plants and the Public utility
Board’s water treatment plants, have to undergo an
energy audit by FY12. In response to this requirement,
NEA engaged ABB Industry Pte Ltd in 2011 to carry
out an energy audit on the power generation capability
and efficiency of its incineration plants.
The objective of the energy audit is to provide
recommendations for energy efficiency and resultant
electricity production improvements that can be
achieved through operational adjustments, corrective
maintenance, and retrofit or plant improvement measures.
As an antecedent phase, the energy audit will be
conducted only on selected monitoring & evaluation
systems in the incineration plant. This is slated to be
completed by the first half of 2012. The results will
then be used to assess whether the energy audit
should be extended entirely through Tuas South
Incineration Plant and Tuas Incineration Plant to
improve overall energy efficiency and reap further
energy cost savings.
0.5
(7.0)
0.6
(5.9)
0.7
(5.0)
0.8
(4.4)
0.9
(3.9)
1.0
(3.5)
1.1
(3.2)
1.2
(2.9)
kW/ton
C.O.P
New Technology All-Variable
Speed Chiller Plants
High-Efficiency Optimised
Chiller Plants
Conventional Code Based
Chiller Plants
Chiller Plants with Correctable Design or Operational Problems
ExCELLENt gOOd fAIR NEEdS IMPROVEMENt
Older Chiller Plants
AvERAGE ANNUAL CHILLER PLANT EFFICIENCY IN kW/ton (c.o.p)(Input energy includes chillers, condenser pumps and tower fans)
Based on electrically driven centrifugal chiller plants in comfort conditioning applications with 42F (5.6C) nominal chilled water supply temperature and open cooling towers sized for 85F (29.4C) maximum entering condenser water temperature. Local climate adjustment for North
American climates is +/- 0.05 kW/ton
electricity consumption by a good 10 per cent below
business-as-usual level within 5 years. Another has been to
make reference to the Green Mark building guidelines as a
benchmark even for our small offices. Take for example, NEA
designed and built the newest purpose-built meteorological
service facility along Kim Chuan Road, in line with Green
Mark (Gold) building guidelines. This is a small premise
which is not required to comply with Green Mark under the
PSTLES requirement.
Key PSTLES requirements
Energy Efficiency
• Public sector agencies owning buildings with central chilled
water plants and air-conditioned floor area >10,000m2 are
to conduct energy audits. Through these audits, they can
gather a better understanding of the energy performance
of their buildings and identify measures to improve energy
efficiency.
• As the chilled water plant is the main energy guzzler in most
of these buildings, the energy performance of the plant is to
be monitored continuously with permanent instrumentation.
In addition, the energy performance of retrofitted plant is to
achieve better than 0.185kWE/kWT.
The above requirements also apply to new buildings with central
chilled water plants and air-conditioned floor area >10,000m2.
• Public sector agencies must ensure that the indoor
temperature of their air-conditioned premises is maintained
at 24°C or higher.
• Public sector agencies must ensure that their Facility
Operation Managers (FOMs) attend relevant energy
management training.
• Public sector agencies are to procure the most cost-
effective appliances, taking into account life cycle costs.
• New office information and communication technology
equipment procured must meet the latest Energy Star
standards.
Water Efficiency
Public sector agencies and schools must achieve the Water
Efficient Building (WEB) Label for their buildings.
Recycling
Public sector agencies are to implement recycling programmes
which include initiatives to recycle paper, plastics, aluminium and
toner cartridges.
General Environmental Sustainability
• Public sector offices must achieve the Eco-Office Label.
• New public sector buildings with more than 5,000m2 air-
conditioned floor area, including buildings with development
cost fully or partly funded by the public sector (e.g. new
universities and hospitals) must attain the Green Mark
Platinum rating.
• All existing public sector buildings with more than 10,000m2
air-conditioned floor areas must attain the Green Mark
GoldPlus rating by 2020.
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The Eco-Office Label is an award given by the Singapore
Environment Council (SEC), an environmental non-
governmental organisation, to recognise offices that
have demonstrated commitment towards environmental
protection. Organisations that have done well in all of the
following aspects can apply for the Label:
• Corporateenvironmentalpolicyandresponsibility
• Purchasingpractices
• Wasteminimisation
• Recycling
• Paperuse
• Energyconservation
• Waterconservation
SEC will only award the Label after an auditor conducts
verification site visit(s) to determine the organisation’s
declaration on its environmental performance.
In NEA, the Eco-Office Committee is in charge of coordinating
our efforts in implementing green initiatives across all NEA
offices to comply with the Eco-Office Label requirements.
In many of our off-site premises, the representative in the
Eco-Office Committee would often chair a sub-committee
that would work together to initiate site-specific Eco-
Office initiatives, monitor the effectiveness of the action
plans, educate staff, and update staff on their site-specific
performance.
NEA is in the pioneer batch of the 2005 Eco-Office Label
recipients. This has earned us the much-needed propulsion
in our quest to be a leading example for other organisations
to follow.
SUStAININg tHAt COMMItMENt In 2007, NEA took a big step forward and successfully
achieved the Eco-Office Label for our 14 offices. These
include offices in our crematoriums, incineration plants,
meteorological stations, regional offices, the Environmental
HealthInstitute,andtheSemakauLandfill.
Each Eco-Office Label is only valid for two years. NEA
underwent two more rounds of recertification; once in 2009
where, NEA is the organisation with the most number of
offices to successfully achieve the Eco-Office Label, and
another in 2011. In line with the auditor’s recommendations,
NEA has made the following progress for the 2011 Eco-
Office Label audit:
• Excess light bulbs were removed from luminaries:
Our luminaire typically consists of two tubes of 36W
T8 tubes. In the previous round of audit, the auditor
recommended NEA to consider removing one of the two
light bulbs at certain areas (workstations nearer to the
windows, corridor, etc.). In removing the light bulbs, views
and feedback from affected staff were sought to ensure
that the light levels remained bright enough for them
to continue to work productively. With this effort, NEA
managed to save on our electricity consumption without
any negative impact on productivity.
• Conventional bulbs were replaced with energy efficient
alternatives whilst renovating and relocating to different
premises (e.g. South West Regional Office).
• More environmental awareness activities were organised
for staff.
• Educational materials were provided to remind staff to
practise good Eco-Office habits.
• Flow regulators were installed in all taps to achieve the
Water Efficient Building Label — awarded by the Public
utilities Board.
• Adequate recycling bins for paper, plastics and cans were
placed at convenient locations, within easy reach of staff.
• Ambient indoor air temperature was kept at 24°C and
above to maintain comfort without overcooling.
Eco-Office Label
• More robust governance structure was implemented to
facilitate succession planning of Eco-Office champions
and encourage seeding of ideas.
• All purchases were made electronically via GeBiZ — a
centralised government procurement website — and
priority was given to the purchase of green assets (e.g.
Energy Star certified laptops, certified Green Label
Cane Fields A4 paper manufactured using alternative
fibres) where possible.
Obtaining four straight Eco-Office Labels has definitely
proven NEA’s resoluteness in implementing effective
environmentally-friendly measures and gives credit where it
is due to staff who have contributed to this programme.
NEA will continue to leverage on Eco-Office Label programme
and audit recommendations to further drive environmental
sustainability within the organisation. The Eco-Office Label
programme is a useful benchmarking tool for NEA in our
quest for constant improvement in green adoption.
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OUR FINANCES
Funding ArrangementsNEA offers numerous funding and incentive schemes
(e.g. Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme,
Environmental Technology Research Programme, etc.) to
support worthwhile and innovative environmental initiatives.
We disburse funding support for projects that are in line with
Singapore’s environmental sustainability goals, especially
those that help build capacity among the community and
industry, creating value-add even after completion.
Typically, NEA will partially fund the projects to encourage
co-ownership and motivate the applicant, thereby maximising
value from given resources. Our organisation looks at both
long-term and short-term benefits that would possibly be
derived from each project we support. Some examples of
our funding schemes are as follows:
ENERgy EffICIENCy IMPROVEMENt ASSIStANCE SCHEMEThe Energy Efficiency Improvement Assistance Scheme
(EASe) is a co-funding scheme (launched in April 2005)
administered by NEA to provide an incentive for companies
in the manufacturing and building sectors. This allows them
to carry out detailed studies on their energy consumption and
identify potential areas for energy efficiency improvement.
Funding of up to 50 per cent of the cost for such appraisals
— subject to a cap of $200,000 — may be made available
to any Singapore-registered company with buildings or
manufacturing facilities in Singapore.
gRANt fOR ENERgy EffICIENt tECHNOLOgIESNEA launched the Grant for Energy Efficient Technologies
(GREET) scheme in November 2008 to encourage more
investments in energy efficiency by providing a grant to
companies to offset part of the investment cost. under
GREET, NEA co-funds up to 50 per cent of the cost of energy
efficient equipment and technologies, capped at S$2 million
per project.
The GREET fund is one that aids companies in adopting
energy efficient equipment and technology. Moreover,
this fund helps organisations save a substantial amount in
current tumultuous economic times. This initiative was put
together by NEA, with support from SPRING Singapore
and the Association of Small & Medium Enterprises. Taking
reference from GREET, the Sustainability Office works on
projects with a payback3 of three years to seven years.
INNOVAtION fOR ENVIRONMENt SUStAINABILIty (IES) fUNdThe IES fund is a $20 million seed funding to encourage
and assist Singapore-registered companies to undertake
environmental protection and public health related projects
that would contribute to the long-term environmental
sustainability of Singapore. The IES fund is targeted
at projects at the applied research and test-bedding/
demonstration stages of technology developments.
The proposed IES projects target to achieve at least one of
these following objectives:
a. Initiatives that speed up environmentally sustainable
applications
b. Innovative proposals that have the potential to create
new value and capabilities for NEA
c. Projects that offer long-term solutions to specific
environmental problems faced by Singapore
NEA also seeks to incorporate innovative eco-friendly
features in our newly renovated or new premises. For
example, NEA’s newest purpose-built meteorological service
facility — recipient of the Building & Construction Authority’s
Green Mark Gold Award — at 36 Kim Chuan Road, boasts
green features along the likes of solar panels and a rain
harvesting system that harvests rainwater to irrigate the
building’s landscape.
3 Payback is calculated using the total project costs divided by estimated
annual energy cost savings. Total project costs comprise the qualifying
costs stated below and other costs that might be incurred in implementing
the project. The qualifying costs include manpower cost, equipment, and
materials and professional services.
NEA requires its staff to make financially responsible and
sustainable decisions in their day-to-day work. Staff are
expected to evaluate and weigh the short and long term
costs and benefits of their actions and policies that they
plan to put in place. NEA provides the necessary training
to impart essential knowledge which enables employees to
make financially prudent decisions.
Regular checks on the organisation’s fund utilisation rate are
conducted to ensure our financial soundness. Our financial
statements are made available together with our Annual Report.
Green Procurement
retrieve relevant procurement documentations, as well as
conveniently submit their bids online. The GeBIZ portal
ensures transparency in NEA’s procurement process.
Specially aimed at driving green procurement, NEA
encourages our potential suppliers to integrate sustainability
in their processes. We have thus included the requirement for
suppliers to declare their health, safety and green measures
in their quotation and tender submissions.
NEA seeks to proactively integrate sustainability considerations
in our procurement requirements. Performance, durability, energy
efficiency, recycled content and recycling ability are NEA’s
five key procurement criteria used in our product evaluations.
Staff are encouraged to word these accordingly in our tender
or quotation specifications, sending a clear message to our
potential suppliers about our sustainability expectations for
the product we purchased. This effort is in line with NEA’s
national campaigns promoting the use of energy efficient
products and environmentally friendly products.
To date, some of our green purchases include Energy Star
certified laptops, certified Green Label Cane Fields A4
paper made with alternative fibres, and Energy Star certified
printers with a duplex printing function (on rental basis).
Taking into consideration the life cycle cost of purchasing
energy efficient products, NEA has also installed energy
efficient lightings, refrigerators and four ticks inverter air-
conditioners at NEA’s training and knowledge division’s
– Singapore Environment Institute —new office space as it
moves from Environment Building to an existing building at
Kay Siang Road by May 2012. This new site is also designed
to minimise demolition and partition construction and where
possible, all major material purchases were Singapore Green
Label products, including flooring, carpeting, paints, high
pressure laminates, and flat pressed particle boards. Further,
reuse of large sections of carpeting after cleaning meant
that less new materials were purchased.
As a government agency, NEA has to comply with MOF’s
Instruction Manual (Procurement) for all its procurement
activities, including green procurement. The key principles
governing government procurement are: (a) Transparency,
(b)OpenandFairCompetition, (c)ValueforMoney.These
principles guide the execution of the procurement process to
ensure fairness and integrity.
To further strengthen the integrity of our procurement
process, in FY11, NEA internally requires the approving
authority for the award of quotation or tender to not be from
the buying department. This is to avoid conflicts of interest
and achieve clear segregation of roles for any purchases
carried out by the buying department.
All NEA’s invitation for quotations and tenders are required to
be posted in GeBIZ. Suppliers are able to conduct electronic
commerce with the government through this web-based
portal, search for government procurement opportunities,
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4 The Total Factor Productivity concept was adopted by DSTA and Ernst
& Young. It refers to the increase in output that is brought about by
improvements in the technologies, skill levels of workers, or research and
innovation capabilities in an economy. Two key contributors are service
quality and resource optimisation.
The traditional definition of productivity is output per unit of
input.However, thiscannotbeappliedblindlytothePublic
Service as our outputs are often intangible or difficult to
measure. Thus, the best way to grow Singapore’s economy
sustainably is to raise Total Factor Productivity4, as highlighted
byMrPeterHo,HeadofCivilService,atthePublicService
Conference 2010.
3• To make NEA a more lean, efficient
and customer-friendly agency
• Discarding outdated rules,
regulations, and streamline
procedures
• Idea/projectswhichresultin
savings for the organisation
•Savings can be monetary or non-
monetary terms
AVOId / SAVE COSt
• To free up scarce resources to “do
the right things” and “do things
right” and achieve maximum
efficiency and value
• Results in less repeated work like:
- Centralisation
- Standardisation
- Defining clear accountabilities
CUt REd tAPE1 2 ELIMINAtE
dUPLICAtION
To support the national effort in boosting productivity and
innovation, NEA has formed different functional committees:
• Productivity Steering Committee (PSC) — Oversees
resource optimisation, sets overall productivity goals, and
acts as a platform to review and endorse initiatives
• Quality Service Steering Committee (QSSC) — Focuses
on driving service quality and staff engagement
Staff can submit their ideas/projects to MyiDeas or WITs
Online (as elaborated in the “Nurturing Operational
Excellence — Encouraging Innovation” section on page 59.
Variousincentiveschemeshavebeensetinplacetorecognise
staff’s contribution such as:
• Double points — Awarded to ideas that are related to
productivity through the enhanced MyiDeas system
since August 2011
E-AlertforIllegalHawkingatMRTStations
• Annual Best Productivity Project Award — Given to
projects that embody the three aforementioned focus
areas
As of today, 10 projects have been endorsed by PSC, with an
estimated savings of over S$1 million per year. One interesting
productivityprojectbyEHD-NEROistheE-Alertfor Illegal
HawkingatMRTStations,whichproposestodevelopavideo
analytics system that provides real-time surveillance and
intelligence of illegal hawking activities at identified hotspots.
The project is currently under development.
Illegal hawking activities are pressing challenges NEA faces in its operations. The current method of conducting
illegal hawking raids and monitoring through the public feedback domain is ineffective, as it requires NEA officers to
be physically present on-site to verify the validity of the cases. This contributes to the low yield of illegal hawking raids
as resources available for deployment are limited.
The successful development of the video analytics
system, which provides real-time surveillance and
intelligence on illegal hawking activities, would lead to
higher yield of raids and allow NEA officers more control
over public feedback on illegal hawking. Moreover, NEA
officers are able to:
a) Verify illegalhawkingeventswhencapturedevents
are pushed to their portable handheld devices in the
form of a SMS and video clip
b) Pull real-time information from the system to validate
public feedback on the occurrence of illegal hawking
activities at identified sites
By leveraging on technology, NEA officers would be able
to better assess the situation through real-time preview
and playback (e.g. number of offenders, items on sale,
to plan the next course of action, verify public feedback,
audit APOs contractors’ performances) and deploy
necessary resources only when necessary to the site. The
implementation of this project will greatly enhance NEA’s
productivity with an estimated cost avoidance amounting
to at least S$860,000.
NEA’s Drive for Work Efficiency
NEA’s ongoing productivity campaign, launched since Feb 2011, has three focus areas:
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OUR WORkPLACE
NEA recognises the risks associated with an aging populace,
thetighteningregulationsonWorkplaceSafetyandHealth,
along with increasing expectations from our staff for NEA to
meet their work and social needs.
As outlined in our materiality matrix, NEA seeks to
enhance our talent management initiatives, intensify staff
engagement, and inculcate a stronger sense of corporate
social responsibility. Having said so, NEA will continue to
sustainourongoinginitiatives—WorkplaceHealth&Safety
andWork-LifeHarmony,etc.
NEA seeks to meet our social responsibility and staff needs
through the following key programmes:
Promoting Social Sustainability — Our Key Initiatives
Workplace Safety NEA places great importance on the safety and health of
our staff and partners. As an organisation that is over 3,000
strong, we do the utmost to provide and maintain a safe
and healthy work environment, drawing references from the
Workplace Safety and Health Act (WSHA) — enacted on
1 March 2006, in replacement of the Factories Act. The
WSHAwasextendedtodifferentworkplacesinstagesover
a period of time. NEA has progressively complied with the
Act as shown in the diagram below.
NEA customised the workplace safety initiatives in NEA to
best mitigate risk for each situation, taking into account the
following:
• NEA staff are scattered across the island. Apart from
its corporate headquarters at Environment Building,
NEA staff are also located at the incineration plants,
laboratories, meteorological services offices, and our
regional offices.
• The varying nature of our work (e.g. ground staff checking
for mosquito breeding sites versus officers in a corporate
setting versus officers working in the incineration plants)
In accordance toWSHAphase1 and2 (refer to diagram
above), greater attention has been placed on operational and
high risk areas such as incineration plants and laboratories.
These workplaces now possess strong systems and
processes to mitigate potential risks.
PROgRESSIVE ExtENSION Of tHE WSHA ANd ItS IMPACt ON NEA
All other offices
and workplaces
Phase
3
1 Sep2011•Factories
•ConstructionSites
•Shipyards/Marine
•Airport
•Laboratories
•WaterSupply,Sewerage
and Waste Management
•F&Boutlets
•Healthcare
•Veterinary
•Landscape
•Serviceslinkedtogoods
transportation
Phase
2
1 Mar2008
Phase
NEAWorkplaces Impacted
• IncinerationPlants(alreadyimpactedbytheFactoriesActpriorto2006)• EHI(safehandlingofpathogenscoveredunderMOHBiologicalAgents&ToxinsAct,
AVAAnimals&BirdsAct,andMHAProtectedPremises)
• Other NEA offices includingENVHQandRegionalOffices
1
1 Mar2006
StAff LIkELy NEEdS (ReferencefromMaslow’sHierarchyofNeeds)
4NEA seeks to contribute to our community and undertakes numerous corporate social responsibility initiatives for our staff to get involved (see page 66).
SELf-ACtUALISAtION
To address needs from our staff as individuals and their relationship with their family/friends, community and work, NEA has put in place initiatives to encourage work-life harmony (see page 56).2 LOVE/
BELONgINg
1
EStEEM3NEA values each of our staff as talent. To develop our staff to their fullest potential, NEA has set up a comprehensive learning and talent management plan (see page 55).
SAfEty/PHySIOLOgICAL
NEA seeks to meet, if possible exceed, the requirements stated under theWorkplaceSafety&HealthActthroughourworkplace safety programme. To provide staff with a sense of security, NEA seeks to implement proper mechanisms to deal with grievances through our union membership arrangement. NEA's expectations on proper employee conduct are also clearly stated in the NEA Person Code.
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In September 2011, WSHA was extended into phase 3
(refer to diagram in previous page) to impact all other offices
and workplaces. NEA is now in the midst of levelling-up our
otherworkingenvironments,(e.g.offices),toextendWSHA
coverage organisation-wide. Many of these internal best
practices on workplace safety — adopted by the incineration
plants for example, are being studied for different applications
across NEA. Take for example, members of the Hawkers
Department Safety Committee and Corporate Development
Department (CDD) recently embarked on a study visit to
the Tuas South Incineration Plant (TSIP) to the Tuas South
Incineration Plant to learn more about TSIP’s ongoing work
safety practices, and to see if there are opportunities to
adopt them at the hawker centres.
kEy APPROACHESNEA has instituted several initiatives to put in place a robust
workplace safety system and cultivate a strong safety
culture. This is to ensure the well-being of all NEA staff
and to support the organisation’s vision of a zero-accident
workplace.
In summary, the workplace safety initiatives cover the
following:
• Managing risks at the workplace
• Building up a workplace safety culture (see page 63)
MANAgINg RISkS At tHE WORkPLACEThe NEA Safety Steering Committee (NSSC), a special
dedicated focus committee, is chaired personally
by the Chief Executive Officer along with the senior
management coterie. This strong showing by the very
top-level leadership is testament to the heightened
importance of workplace safety.
Plant Safety Committees
WRMD SC
EHDSC
PCD SC
CRPNS SC
MSS SC
HDSC
EHISC
NSSC
Secretariat
The NSSC’s work is aligned with the broader work on risk
management managed by the Enterprise Risk Management
Committee (ERMC).
The NSSC’s role is to formulate and review safety policies,
providing overall direction for workplace safety risk management.
On top of that, it promotes and supports the inculcation of a
workplace safety culture within NEA. Due to the different
nature of their work, certain departments have their own Safety
Committees, of which the NSSC oversees and approves
programmes from the initial planning to final inception.
At the helm of the NSSC is the Secretariat, which consolidates
information on safety and health practices from departmental
Safety Committees together with other business units. The
purpose is to share best practices and drive corporate-level
workplace safety programmes.
Measures in Place to Manage Risk
The first step towards accident prevention is in the
identification of potential work hazards. NEA requires all
its departments to compile a workplace safety risk register,
listing out key risks alongside corresponding control plans
detailing their probability, likelihood, and impact; done in
compliancewithWSHA.Theseriskregistersaresignedoff
bytherespectiveHeadsofDepartments.Thewholeexercise
allows for attention to detail and the dedication of focus to
higher priority risks.
NEA has gone a step further to insist on yearly updates,
as opposed to compulsory updates every three years as
mandatedbyWSHA.Itenablesustohaveinhandatalltimes,
an updated overview of hazards identified and addressed.
As of now, the incineration plants have a safety officer —
employed on a part-time basis — to assist in identifying
workplace safety risks on-site. Moving forward, NEA is
looking to arrange for supplementary staff training where
they will be groomed to manage and identify violations to
safety, culminating in an added robust process.
Monitoring of Safety Indicators
Regular reporting of accidents and workplace-injury
statistics is constantly monitored by NSSC, from the number
to the type of workplace accidents that have occurred. From
FY09 to FY11, NEA is pleased to note there have been no
work-related fatalities. Building on this, the organisation will
continue with its stringent checks.
Employee ConductNEA maintains a zero tolerance policy towards fraud and
misconduct. All NEA staff are informed of the NEA Person
Code — an internal guideline for ethical and professional
conduct – the moment he/she joins NEA. The NEA Person
Code, aligned with the Government’s Code of Conduct, is
availableonourIntranetandinourNEAHandbook.
During the reporting period, one of our staff was found guilty
of corruption during the period of May 2006 to August 2009
and was charged accordingly.
NEA constantly reminds staff to follow the NEA Person
Code in their course of work. In addition, under NEA’s
comprehensive whistle-blowing policy, NEA encourages all
employees and third parties to report any incidents of fraud
and serious misconduct.
union Membership NEA gives all its officers' free reign to join any recognised
union which may admit the employee under its rules of
membership; unless specifically disallowed as a preceding
condition to one’s appointment, transfer or promotion.
Currently, 98 per cent of NEA employees are eligible to join
a union.
The organisation has adequate channels in place to deal with
grievances on matters that affect the terms and conditions of
service. In addition, each individual is entitled to voice out their
concerns officially about their employment terms so long as
they do so to the appropriate departmental authorities and
not to external third parties with no linkage to NEA.
NEA also works closely with its valued partners — the
Amalgamated union of Public Employees (AuPE) and
the Amalgamated union of Public Daily Rated Workers
(AuPDRW) — to enhance management-union relations.
These are mostly based on mutual trust with the cooperation
of members, continually seeking new work methodology and
improvements in a bid to achieve higher productivity, quality
service and excellence. Information on this is made available
to our staff on the NEA Intranet and all new staff are informed
of their rights during induction courses.
Women currently account for 30 per cent of our employees.
The rights of women in Singapore are protected under the
Women’s Charter.
All NEA employees receive half yearly regular performance
and career development reviews. Remuneration and
promotion are meritocratic, i.e. based on their performance
regardless of gender.
Amalgamated Union of Public Daily Rated Workers
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NURTURINGNEA believes that every staff is a talent with
unharnessed potential, and thus seeks to
groom and offers equal learning opportunities
to all. Alongside, NEA provides various staff
engagement platforms and encourages all to
innovate for sustainability, as part of our vision
to inculcate a strong eco-friendly and risk
management culture within the organisation.
INItIAtIVESTo encourage staff to practise the 8 habits, NEA implemented
a few initiatives to jump start the challenge:
• A signature block functioning as a reminder to all e-mail
recipients to print only when necessary
• A "No Styrofoam Cup"
policy for all internal NEA
meetings — Staff were
encouraged to bring
their own cups and avoid
disposables where possible.
Drink stall vendors assisted
in the implementation with
the provision of reusable cups. Reusable cups were also
distributed to staff at NEA’s 2011 Dinner & Dance to
provide staff with an alternative to styrofoam cups for
their daily office use.
• Circulars reminding staff to reduce food waste (i.e. not
over-cater), not consume catered food after the stipulated
period, and use melamine wares at NEA's events — These
circulars are in line with NEA's new national policy that
requires catered food to be time-stamped.
• Reminders reiterating the importance of switching off
power at the socket level organisation-wide to reduce
standby power usage
• Noticesencouragingstafftoswitch off the lights when
not in use
• General campaign stickers reminding staff of the 8
effective habits pasted at key locations where staff are
expected to practise the habits and at all workstations
• Consumptiondata inFY11sharedwithinNEAtoraise
staff awareness. Information compiled is used as our
baseline data for target setting
AN ECO-FRIENdLY CULTURE
ENCOURAgINg INNOVAtION tHROUgH StAff ENgAgEMENt Staff engagement has always been one of NEA's priorities.
Through engagement, NEA seeks to encourage innovation
and staff involvement so that they can eventually be active
environmental ambassadors who can further help spread
environmental messages to the community.
Circulars and NEA’s Sustainability Intranet are designed to
allow the interactive exchange of views and suggestions
among staff. Some examples of our interactive engagement
platforms in our Intranet are as follows:
• WhatourStaffSays?VotetoSupport!—Aplacewhere
staff can vote to support ideas raised by fellow colleagues
for implementation
• Be a Volunteer corner — A place where staff can
volunteer their time and expertise to champion projects
on sustainability within NEA
• Discussion Forum — A place where staff can share their
views on environmental issues with the Sustainability
Office and fellow colleagues
The 8 Effective Habits 10% Challenge drew some
encouraging responses and enthusiasm from staff. Some
interesting suggestions from staff included installation
of timers for our hot water dispensers to automatically
switch off after office hours as well as a greening of the
recruitment process through a more extensive use of e-mail
correspondences and technology aids such as the iPad.
The Sustainability Committee evaluates all suggestions and
would continue to implement some of these suggestions on
a larger scale in the future.
All these have been mere glimpses of the environmental
ownership NEA aims to inculcate among staff.
HARdWARE CHANgESPromoting the 8 habits would require hardware changes to
enhance the ease for staff to practise these habits. Staff
suggestions and opinions were sought in these aspects.
Adapting from and incorporating staff suggestions, NEA has
broadly adopted two forms of hardware changes: (1) the use
of technology and (2) the implementation of infrastructural
changes to further reduce consumption.
Please consider the environment before printing this email
Encouraging the community to take on greater environmental
ownership remains a key priority and challenge for National
Environment Agency (NEA). NEA initiates a number of
national 3P campaigns — Recycling Week that emphasises
onpromotingreducing,reusingandrecycling;10%Energy
Challenge where citizens are encouraged to adopt five
simple steps to conserve energy, etc. — which aim to inspire
the public to adopt an eco-friendly lifestyle.
As NEA continues to roll out more programmes and
initiatives to promote greater environmental ownership in the
community, there is a need for NEA to similarly intensify our
own staff outreach to encourage them to walk the talk.
In October 2011, NEA initiated the 8 Effective Habits
10%Challengetoraisestaffawarenessonenvironmental
issues, inculcate good environmental habits among staff,
and encourage innovation for sustainability. This challenge
was launched in support of Clean & Green Singapore,
a nationwide event, and would pave our way to be a truly
sustainable and resource-efficient office in the long run.
The five-year awareness movement hopes to inculcate eight
good environmental habits among NEA staff setting eyes
on an ambitious target of a 10 per cent reduction in NEA’s
electricity and water consumption from the business-as-
usual levels by FY16 and a 10 per cent reduction in paper
purchased from FY10 levels by FY16.
The habits mapped out in this challenge are as follows:
Through this challenge, NEA seeks to motivate staff to
think out of the box to embed sustainability in our work
processes, alongside initiating hardware changes that
would make it easier for one to practise these habits.
.
8EffectiveHabits10%Challenge
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ExAMPLE 1: PdAS IN NEA’S OPERAtIONSA part of the Operational Excellence effort, NEA has issued PDAs to our officers since
April 2011. The PDAs run on the Intelligent Surveillance and Enforcement System (iSES),
allowing wireless interface with NEA’s numerous backend operations systems, which are
used for enforcement management, public feedback tracking, licensing purposes, etc.
Such an initiative greatly reduces the amount of paper usage and enhances NEA’s work
processes, speeding up our response to the public.
More staff are coming forth with good suggestions on how
NEA premises can be more resource efficient. The following
are some of our infrastructural add-ons that incorporated
our staff suggestions:
From April 2012 onwards, NEA offices at the Environment
Building will be consuming less energy to light up. In a
collaboration with our parent Ministry of Environment &
Water Resources, NEA will be swapping all our 36W T8
lights in the office area to 19W LEDs. A cost benefit
calculation shows that such an initiative could bring a
potential long-term savings of about S$100,000.
The lift lobbies are not left out, with the existing lightings
to be replaced with energy efficient alternatives.
On the other hand, newly renovated toilets have checked
out in all requirements listed under the Singapore OK
public toilet criteria:
• Ensure that all sanitary pipes and fittings are in good
working condition
• Providesoapandtoiletpaper
• Providelitterbins
• Providesanitarybinsforfemaletoilets
• Provideaworkinghand-dryerorpapertowels
• Provideacleanerduringpeakhours
• Cleaningscheduletobedisplayedprominently
• Provideachannelforfeedbackthroughsigns
Acting upon a staff's suggestion, hot water dispensers
in headquarters and off-site premises are now installed
with timers that would automatically switch off for at least
nine hours a day after office hours. This would mean an
estimated cost savings of S$18,000 annually; a small
price to pay for the initial $300 investment.
Staff in our regional offices are also doing their part and
proactively going green. Take for example, at NEA’s North
West Regional Office, the management has agreed to
their staff suggestions to install solar films to dissipate the
solar heating effect, enabling staff to work comfortably at
a higher air-conditioning temperature. Another example is
our newly renovated South West Regional Office that has
incorporated energy efficient lighting in its own renovation,
in the bid to reduce their electricity consumption. All these
efforts contribute to the objectives of the 8 Effective
Habits10%Challenge.
The use of technology is already prevalent in some
areas of operation within NEA. One example is video
conferencing to reduce travel time and another, the
utilisation of iPads that does away with redundancies in
paper usage, and the use of PDAs in our operations. All
these culminate in increased efficiency and productivity,
benefiting both the organisation’s bottom line and
carbon footprint.
Technology in Action — Go Green while Improving Productivity
Sustainable Infrastructural Add-ons
ExAMPLE 2: LIVE StREAMINg tECHNOLOgy fOR StAff ENgAgEMENtTo further engage our staff, since early 2012, NEA had
employed live streaming technology to broadcast NEA’s
quarterly CEO Townhall to employees located at off-site
premises (regional offices, meteorological service office
at Changi, etc.). This saved precious man hours, which
would otherwise be spent on commuting between offices,
and reduced greenhouse gas emissions associated with
such unnecessary transportation.
ExAMPLE 3: ELECtRONIC fILINg SyStEMAlso, in the midst of implementation is NEA’s electronic
filing system, aimed at easing the burden of paper filing,
reducing paper usage, and introducing convenience for
staff to file, search, and retrieve documents electronically.
Works are also ongoing to digitalise our existing
hardcopies. This will further reduce manpower required
to manage the hardcopy files, thus freeing up resources
for other tasks.
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OUR PEOPLE SUStAININg EffORtSNEA will continue to put in place and maintain various
engagement channels to further motivate our staff to innovate
for sustainability where consumption habits are concerned,
whether through the form of inter-departmental/inter-site
competitions, reminder circulars reinforcing the message of
the8EffectiveHabits10%Challengeorinitiativespromoting
the8EffectiveHabits.
The next five years will also be focused on increasing the
efficiency of our offices and creating ease for our staff to
practise the 8 habits, with implementation of more structured
hardware changes and technology adoption.
Among the numerous pushes that have been laid on the
table, NEA is studying the feasibility of the following:
• Infrastructural deep retrofit at NEA’s regional offices to
further reduce energy consumption
• use of renewable energy (e.g. solar) at suitable off-site
premises
• use of NEWater (recycled wastewater) for non-potable
utility
• Technology adoption whenever possible to reduce our
consumption
Sustainability Office will also work closely with the various
departments within NEA to track consumption levels and
make progress towards the final 10 per cent reduction goal
within the stipulated five-year period.
At the heart of nurturing and bringing out the best in our
staff lies a delicate balance in creating and maintaining a
quality of life that takes into consideration:
• Our staff’s mental and physical health
• The need to reinforce their sense of belonging in NEA
• The need to encourage mutual respect through proper
staff engagement within NEA
Furthermore, to be NEA’s ambassadors, NEA employees need
to do more than contribute to the functionality of the organisation
and walk the talk. They will need to embody our core values in
their day-to-day conduct both in and out of the workplace.
Thus,inNEA,ourlong-termHRstrategiesareasfollows:
• Attract, develop and retain talent with a passion for the
environment
• Build work environment where staff are highly engaged
and feel cared for
• Nurture a cohesive workforce with high ethos
Staying on this positive trajectory requires us to enhance and
sustain efforts in several areas which will be highlighted in
this section.
In NEA, every staff is a talent to be developed to their
fullest potential. We seek to provide a learning culture and
environment to enable our people to grow their potential and
build a forward-looking, innovative and vibrant organisation.
Learning starts from the moment staff enter NEA. All new
staff go through the employee orientation, departmental
induction/buddy scheme, e-induction, formal induction
programme, and a two day PEEL trail in which staff visit
NEA operational sites.
There are also many opportunities for officers to learn, be it
soft skills or functional skills to help them build confidence
in their work and enhance their professionalism. All staff
plan their own learning roadmap in consultation with their
supervisors as part of their annual performance appraisal
process before the start of each year.
In June 2011, NEA implemented the Enhanced Talent
Management Framework to provide greater focus in
developing key domain expertise and leadership training. Other
than equipping officers with skills and knowledge required
to perform well on their jobs, we seek to broaden our staff
exposure to facilitate whole-of-NEA thinking through job
rotations and cross-functional developmental assignments.
NEA is also providing more learning and upgrading
opportunities to raise the educational profile of staff,
improve employees’ competencies, and maximise potential
for career development. Such opportunities are extended to
staff of all ages including our older workers. One example
is our expansion of our sponsorship schemes to allow older
officers with secondary education, who are not confident or
keen on furthering their studies, the option to attend specific
skills bridging courses.
We also seek to tap on the experience of our older workers beyond
their retirement via the Adjunct Appointment and Consultant
Schemes. These schemes enable these retired staff to return
to contribute to NEA according to their post retirement needs,
be it on short-term or part-time basis. This is a good avenue
for senior retired staff to continue to mentor and share their
expertise with younger or international colleagues.
Learning & Talent Management
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Zest! for Life
under this initiative, new batches of inductees (new hires)
are given time off work to share their ideas and enthusiasm
for life along with nature by organising a leisure activity for
existing staff. To date, excursions to the beautiful trails of the
Southern Ridges, Botanical Gardens and Bukit Timah Hill
were conducted. Zest! for Life draws approximately 80 to
140 participants each time.
Affordable in-house fitness classes and workshops are also
offered on a weekly basis. The popular classes include Tai Chi
and line-dancing which have been ongoing for 5 years. On
top of these, NEASRC organises a wide range of recreational
activities from terrarium workshops to movie screenings.
Health Screening and Roadshows
Our employees’ health and well-being are important to us.
Thus, complimentary basic health screenings and awareness
programmes are organised biennially for all staff at NEA’s
headquarters and off-site installations.
Leave Benefits and Time-Off Policies
As an advocate for pro-family and work-life balance, NEA
has provided leave benefits and time-off policies in line and
at times beyond standard industry practices:
• Adoption Leave — Allows for staff intending to adopt a
child to take up to four weeks off work
• Child-Care, Child-Sick and Parent-Care Leave Schemes
— Enable employees to fulfil their personal obligations as
parents and to their parents
• Birthday Leave — Offers the privilege of an additional
day-off within a week before/after the officer’s birthday
• Study and Exam Leave — Applicable also for non-
NEA sponsored courses; to staff who are interested in
upgrading themselves academically and technically
• All officers are permitted to take one hour off each week
to exercise and unwind
Flexi-Benefits Scheme
Each year, all NEA employees are entitled to a specific
amount, regardless of job title and qualifications, under the
Flexi-Benefits Scheme (FBS). This scheme covers purchases
related to health and wellness, pro-family or continuous
learning courses such as (but not limited to) health insurance,
family travel expenses, and club/society memberships.
ACtIVItIESMany factors contribute to staff morale and we believe that
a vibrant work-life programme is one such example. These
work-life activities aim to develop a healthy, caring and pro-
family culture in NEA whilst encouraging team-bonding
among employees.
Some of our work-life programmes and activities include:
Fitness and Recreational Classes/Workshops
A Sports Convenor is engaged to conduct monthly fitness
activities. Staff are introduced to different forms of exercise
at no cost, so they may discover an activity they enjoy doing
on their own. Some of these are yoga, dance aerobics, and
hi-lo training.
vision of
Work-Life
SELfAchieving personal
well-being encompassing body, mind and spirit
COMMUNItyDeveloping a whole person
through corporate & personal contributions to society by
helping the less fortunate, caring for the environment, and making
a positive difference to society
fAMILy & fRIENdSDeveloping and strengthening significant relationship that include family, friends, and signifiant others
SRC
• Personal Work-Life Effectiveness
• WorkplaceHealth
• Resilience
(InconsultationwithHR,where necessary)
• Quality Leadership
• Conductive Organisational Climate
• Structural Changes in Workplace
• Flexible Work Arrangements
• Family-Friendly Work Environment
• Opportunities to Socialise
• Interpersonal Effectiveness
• CorporateCommunity Involvement
• Platforms for Sharing
• Recognition
WORkHavingpurpose,meaningandchallenge at work. A career that provides:
• Recognition / Reward
• Professional Development
• Continuous Learning
PEER (Charity)
Cdd (CaringforENV)
WORk-LIfE AMBASSAdOR(Family)
INtERACt POINt (Singles-Friends)
Work-LifeHarmony
A ROBUSt WORk-LIfE fRAMEWORkNEA has set up a work-life framework that addresses the
needs of the staff as individuals, and their relationship
with family/friends, community and work (see diagram
below). The Human Resource Division (HRD) works
with other committees to coordinate work-life schemes
and programmes that execute the various aspects of this
framework. These committees include the NEA Sports and
Recreation Club (NEASRC) and the Panel of Employee
Engagement and Recognition (PEER).
SUPPORtIVE HR POLICIESFlexible Working Policies and Practices
As part of NEA’s work-life harmony initiatives, flexible working
arrangements such as part-time work, telecommuting, and
staggered working hours — that help officers to better manage
work and personal responsibilities — have been implemented.
Since being introduced, four per cent of our Monthly Rated
Employees have participated in these schemes; balancing
their commitments, in and out of NEA.
TOP: NEA’s Fitness Tryouts at The Aerobics StudioBOTTOM: Making terrariums with colleagues during lunch
“I like to keep an active lifestyle and with this
(arrangement) I find my current work meaningful
as I get to share knowledge to the younger
officers and continue to contribute to the
healthcare community.”
To improve progression and encourage our lower educated and
older workers to upgrade themselves, NEA has been and will
be re-designing some of our jobs. Take for example, in FY11,
NEA undertook a Daily Rated Employees (DREs) Job Redesign
project in which DRE jobs were upgraded and upskilled so that
those affected could enjoy better remuneration prospects. Our
DREs underwent over 100 hours of customised training to
provide them with the necessary skills for their new job scope.
NEA will continue to focus on raising the skill levels and
competencies of its workforce to better tackle the strategic
challenges ahead.
Mr Tan Joo Thai, a 66-year old Medical Inspection Specialist,
who was re-hired in 2011 as a full-time consultant
WORk-LIfE AMBASSAdOR
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Corporate Events and Celebration
NEA’s annual Family Day encourages staff to experience
bonding time with their families and colleagues, away from
the office. NEA’s Family Day @ The Zoo subsidised 50 per
cent of the park’s entry fee for staff and saw more than 400
employees turn up in support. Citing another, our Dinner &
Dance allows for staff to enjoy a fun night out with up to 90
per cent subsidy on the cost for the dinner party.
In NEA, major festivities are celebrated with food,
performances, workshops, and best-dressed competitions.
These festivities include the Lunar New Year, Hari Raya,
Deepavali and Christmas, with free admission for all staff
and their family members.
NEAt Kids’ Club
The NEAt Kids’ Club organises activities for children and
grandchildren of NEA staff during the school holidays at
very affordable rates. NEA staff whose children are enrolled
can sign up as parent volunteers and enjoy time off work to
spend with their children.
Staff Engagement on Social Sustainability IssuesNEA believes that highly engaged employees are motivated
to be the best in their work so as to contribute to NEA’s
success. Our employee engagement strategies to build a
work environment where staff are highly engaged and feel
cared for are to:
• Share & Listen More — More 2-way, bottom up
communication
• We’re in This Together — Profile, personalise, and
celebrate teamwork
• We Care — Show support, feed the soul and live the spirit
In FY11, NEA ramped up staff engagement to further
reinforce our staff’s sense of belonging in NEA, create
more 2-way communication channels, and involve staff in
co-seeking innovative solutions to NEA’s challenges and
opportunities. Some new engagement initiatives included
quarterly CEO Townhall, 6 monthly HR roadshows, the
designofanEmployeeValueProposition,SupermanForum
for the Middle Management, biannual Senior Management
Get-To-Gather Sessions, etc.
NEA will continue to build on our initiatives to create a
first-class, engaged workforce, and a workplace where
passionate environment advocates strive together in this
dynamic, challenging field to serve Singapore.
OPERATIONALExCELLENCE
Encouraging Innovation
In NEA, innovation means the following:
• Workingsmarter
• Findingbetterwaysforengagement
• Improvingeffectivenessandefficiencyofoperations
• Meetingcustomers’risingexpectations
• Generating impactful ideas (big and small) to achieve
value creation for our stakeholders
As one of NEA’s core values, the organisation strives to pursue
new ideas and creative solutions in safeguarding, nurturing,
and cherishing our environment.
NEA has a systematic process through which staff can submit
their suggestions in NEA’s Intranet through our Operation
tAPPINg IdEAS fROM StAff
IdEAS EVALUAtIONAWARdS &
RECOgNItION SCHEME
•MyiDeas
•WITsOnline
National PS21 ExCEL Awards•BestIdeator,BestPS21Projects,OutstandingActivists
NEA ExCEL Awards•BestMyiDeas,BestIdeators,
Best PS21 Projects, Outstanding Activities
Recognition by DIP Members•4BestMyiDeas(outof9nominations)
•5BestPS21Projects(outof19nominations)
Nominations•BestMyiDeas
•BestPS21Projects•OutstandingActivists
National PS21 ExCEL Convention
NEA Innovation Steering Committee
Div Innovation Panel
Div Innovation Committees
Individual Department Evaluators (on going)
Excellence systems (i.e. MyiDeas and WITs Online) before
they are evaluated at the various platforms.
under the MyiDeas scheme, rewards are given as a token
of appreciation to staff who put forward their suggestions.
To encourage implementation, the implementers are further
granted half of the points awarded for the ideas accepted.
Special incentives are given to the top five quarterly Best
MyiDeas selected to be presented to NEA’s Infocomm
Singapore Centre (ISC).
under WITs Online, project teams that complete their
projects during the first half of the Financial Year will be
rewarded. In addition, the top five half-yearly Best Public
Services 21 (PS21) Projects selected for presentation to
NEA’s Infocomm Singapore Centre (ISC) will be awarded
with S$100 per project.
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Innovation and Learning Fiesta 2012
Every year, deserving staff and projects are recognised
during NEA or national events. Over past years, recipients
of the NEA Best PS21 Awards were duly acknowledged
during NEA Staff Conferences. To emphasise the
importance of innovation in NEA and provide greater
recognition to staff, the NEA’s inaugural Innovation and
Learning Fiesta (ILF) 2012 was recently launched by the
CEO on 14 February 2012.
The Fiesta showcased eleven of NEA's best innovative
and learning projects in recent years. It began with an
awards ceremony to recognise NEA staff's efforts
towards innovation, followed by an inspirational sharing
session by our three NEA Best PS21 Project Gold Award
Winners on their journeys.
One interesting project by Team Optimus was showcased
during ILF: the Mobile Mozzie Microscope (M3) and
Mosquito Identification System. M3 consists of a mobile
microscope with LED light capability attached to a
smartphone casing to capture the image of the larva’s
tiny features which are too small for the naked eye.
Complementing the microscope is the Mosquito
Identification System. This technology comprises the use
of the M3 and mosquito larvae identification software,
leveraging on NEA’s knowledge on the anatomy of the
larva in an effort to lend identification to the specimen.
That being said, this not only revolutionises mosquito
monitoring in Singapore but increases staff productivity by
46 per cent — reducing the time required for monitoring
a particular area.
Over 800 officers turned up for ILF and were treated to
a fun-filled journey of discovery and inspiration, learning
about real-life success stories from our exhibitors whilst
collectingstampstofilluptheircarnivalpassports.Hallsof
excellence, our idea generation stations, were also set up
to raise awareness of the Business Excellence Framework
that NEA has adopted since 2006 — where more than 100
ideas were generated by staff.
In addition, there were two workshops — Innovation@
The World Café and Activity-Based Learning Workshop
— conducted at Singapore Environment Institute Training
Rooms to stimulate creative thinking and encourage
learning along with the exchange of ideas. Many of the
participants lavished praise on the workshops as they
picked up tools to stimulate innovative thinking and gain
better understanding on present modes of learning.
RECOgNISINg ExCELLENCE
Best PS21 Ideator Award
The Best Public Services 21 (PS21) Ideator Award recognises
individuals who have made significant contributions in terms
of ideas and suggestions for improvement.
Mr Nasir K.K Maideen (South West Regional Office) clinched
the prestigious Gold Award for the Best PS21 Ideator Award
at the national PS21 ExCEL Awards and Exhibition held
on 11 November 2011 — for conceptualising the Mobile
Mozzie Microscope and Junction Eyes Terminal. Impressed
withMrNasir’ssimpleyeteffectiveidea,theHeadofCivil
Service, Mr Peter Ong, complimented Mr Maideen in his
opening address at the Convention.
ICQCC
Besides showcasing NEA’s innovative achievements at
national competitions, another of NEA’s project, Operation
M.A.C.E. (Monster Annihilation and Control Enforcement),
which won the Best PS21 Project Silver Award in 2010, went
on to grace the international arena, clinching the Distinguished
Silver Award at the International Convention on Quality Control
Circles (ICQCC)5 in 2011 in Yokohama, Japan. Operation
M.A.C.E uses gaming to communicate dengue prevention
tips to young gamers. The innovative concept drew inspiration
from RPG (Role Playing Games) and anime.
In our continual pursuit for excellence, we have shortlisted
and submitted three projects, namely (i) Mobile Mozzie
Microscope, (ii) Optimisation of Closed Circuit Cooling Water
SystemOperation(IncinerationPlants)and(iii)Verificationof
Weighbridge Accuracy, with great potential to bag the Gold
Award in this year’s ICQCC held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
5 The ICQCC is an international convention/competition held annually which
provides opportunities for members practising Quality Control Circles
(WITs in our context) and quality concepts to share their successful
projects and knowledge.
StRENgtHENINg OUR INtERNAL INNOVAtION fRAMEWORkKey enhancements in recent years include aligning innovation
evaluation criteria to the National PS21 awards (since
2010), and making enhancements (including streamlining
processes and introducing new/enhanced features) on
MyiDeas systems to improve its system usability.
NEA will continue to review and revamp our innovation
framework in the areas such as culture, strategies, processes
and talent.
Seeking Innovative Eco-Friendly Alternatives—TestbeddingElectricVehicleinNEA
NEA is on the lookout for ways to green our vehicle fleet.
NEA currently has two hybrid vehicles for both NEA and
MEWR senior management’s use.
At the moment, NEA is participating in a multi-agency
ElectricVehiclesTaskforce(EVTF)projectsetuptotest
outelectricvehicles(EVs)andassessthebenefitsand
applicabilityofintroducingEVsinSingapore.
AnEVwaspurchasedandwill bedeliveredon9April
2012 with a charging station also installed at the
Environment Building. It will be used by our Pollution
Control Department officers to travel to various remote
monitoring sites in Singapore for routine work. Data on
the usage of the EV will be collected and analysed in
accordance to the project’s experiment protocols.
After a full charge of over eight hours, an EV has the
potential to run for about 90 to 160 kilometres. This
is notably about twice the daily driving distance in
Singapore, which is around 55 kilometres.
We believe our support can help the taskforce better
evaluate infrastructure requirements and new business
modelsarising fromEVs,aswellas to identify industry
and R&D opportunities.
Through participation in this project, NEA also aims to
evaluatefirst-handtheenvironmentalbenefitsofEVs.
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NEA has embarked on the risk management journey since
2006.Havingestablishedbasic riskmanagementsystems
and processes as mentioned in the earlier chapter, there
is still much to do to build up an active risk management
culture in the organisation.
The effectiveness of Enterprise Risk Management (ERM)
in NEA is very much dependent on the strength of its risk
culture. To strengthen our risk culture, we have conducted
numerous trainings and customised briefings over the years
to progressively intensify our efforts.
RISk tRAININg In FY11, a series of risk management awareness training
sessions, known as Know Your Job, Do It Right, were
organised for staff and conducted by external experts on
risk management.
To promote greater understanding of ERM and acquire
additional knowledge to build our capabilities, seasoned ERM
practitioners have been invited to share their experiences
and best practices with us. Last year, NEA had the honour
of gracing Mr Abhijit Sinharoy, Head of Enterprise Risk
Management at VISA Inc., who oversees the Asia Pacific,
Central Europe, Middle East, and Africa regions.
Risk management talks are also conducted at NEA Milestone
Programmes for young officers who have been in service
for a few years. The purpose is to create greater awareness
and understanding of risk management and its importance
to NEA’s role and functions.
RISk COMMUNICAtIONSince July 2009, NEA has been updating staff biyearly on
the latest risk management issues and happenings through
an internal risk management newsletter, the Risk Digest.
Enhancing the Risk Culture in NEA
There is also a risk management Intranet site allowing
staff to access risk management matters in NEA. It serves
as a source of risk management information that includes
speeches and videos featuring past risk management
training sessions and external speakers.
On top of that, NEA proactively collates risk-related news
from the mass media and disseminates it to employees.
Lessons learnt can then be applied in NEA.
REWARdS ANd RECOgNItIONNEA recognises staff for their efforts in promoting risk
management through the NEA Risk Ambassador award. The
award was first introduced in January 2011.
Building a Workplace Safety Culture
One of the key operational risk areas that management places emphasis on is workplace safety. Other than having a robust system to manage workplace safety risk as mentioned in the earlier chapter, NEA also emphasises on building a workplace safety culture.
Dedicated workplace safety courses, staff briefings and communication messages are implemented to build up a workplace safety culture across NEA. The information disseminated is customised to cater to different natures of work as well as different levels of workplace safety awareness required. Below are some of our initiatives.
Training and Staff Briefings Instilling the importance of workplace safety into newcomers from day one is paramount, especially to those working at high-risk premises like incineration plants where a safety orientation is mandatory. The induction briefing programme for all new employees of NEA incorporates a segment emphasising the importance of workplace safety, a right step towards an accident-free organisation.
For existing staff, safety education is included as part of NEA’s overall training and learning plan. Regular safety training and refresher training have also been conducted. Some topics covered in the training courses include Risk Assessment Awareness, First Aid Training, Safe use of Cranes and Lifting Equipment, Oil and Chemical Spillage Training, Proper use of Personal Protective Equipment, Fire Safety, Chemical Safety, Biosafety Briefing, etc.
Key external contractors also have to undergo training on our workplace safety issues.
Efforts are currently underway to put in place a more structured workplace safety training plan for all staff, involving both general workplace safety training and awareness, and specialist workplace safety training for a selected few who have job responsibilities in workplace safety.
Site-Specific Briefings to Build Safety Culture Toolbox meetings and safety briefings are regularly led by field supervisors to inform staff, including all DREs, on safety rules and practices. Taking it a step further, some DREs are sent for courses on WorkplaceSafety&Health.
High-riskworkareassuchas incinerationplants requiremanagementto conduct walkthroughs of the site to ensure full compliance to safety regulations, risk identification, followed by the rectification of any safety hazards. A registered safety officer (RSO) is always at hand to guide and advise staff on safety procedures while conducting safety audits on a weekly basis.
Preventive LearningNEA studies and analyses the results of near-misses, incidents and accident reporting to facilitate learning. This allows us to weed out root causes, identify potential hazards, and correct the problem’s origin.
For their contributions, departmental Risk Champions
are granted due recognition in their personal HR records.
The Director (Corporate Services) meets with these Risk
Champions on a regular basis to understand their needs and
obtain invaluable feedback.
Moving forward, while NEA continues to place emphasis
on managing operational risk in NEA and engaging staff to
build a robust risk culture within NEA, more needs to be
done to link risk management to NEA’s business continuity
and emergency planning efforts. Risk management is useful
for identifying potential events that may impact NEA’s
processes and operations by highlighting key areas of
caution in business continuity projects.
Drills and ExercisesDrills and exercises are put into action to test the readiness of staff in dealing with crises or incidents at the workplace. For example, a large-scale emergency evacuation drill is held at each NEA office annually.
Workplace Safety & Health Communication Messages To remind staff on the importance of workplace safety, workplace safety messages in the form of posters are placed across offices to promote awareness. NEA tries to incorporate workplace safety messages in other events held within NEA. A good example would be the Innovation & Learning Fiesta heldinFebruary2012.There,weinvitedtheWorkplaceSafety&Health(WSH)Counciltosetupaboothtopromoteworkplacesafetymessages.In addition, we arranged for WSH messengers to perform skits in aneffort to communicate workplace safety issues to staff in a fun and easy-to-understand manner. Talks by External ExpertsExperts from DuPont and the Ministry of Manpower had on two separate occasions shared with NEA their experience and advices on how to build a Sustainable Safety Culture.
On 13 June 2011, Mr Srinivasan Ramabhadran, Global Leader of Process Safety and Risk Management Offerings, DuPont Sustainable Solutions, shared with 100 staff from NEA and the Public utilities Board DuPont’s strategies for creating and sustaining a culture of safety, the benefits of doing so, and highlighted the progressive journey in DuPont’s culture shift to achieve safety excellence — requiring involvement and ownership by all employees.
On 6 January 2012, officers from Ministry of Manpower shared their advice and tips on how to play a proactive role in achieving good office ergonomics at their desks, avoiding trips, slips and falls, together with preventing sprains and backaches while carrying heavy items.
Annual Safety Week / Safety DayA safety week or safety day is organised at workplaces with higher levels of risk (e.g. incineration plants). During this period, a line-up of safety skills are taught, including training, practical safety sessions, practice drills, safety talks by external experts, exhibitions, and not to mention, quizzes for staff.
HereatNEA,lifeisprecious.Assuch,westrivetobuildupastrongworkplacesafetycultureamongststafftoensurethatnotragediesbefallemployeesunder our watchful eye. There is no room for complacency as we continue on the journey to fully eliminate accidents from the workplace.
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ChERIShINGIn line with our mission and core values, NEA seeks to contribute to the community
and build a caring culture within NEA through activities that promote corporate social
responsibility. Through collaborations with key partners, NEA also seeks to motivate the
business community to similarly adopt sustainability practices within their own organisation.
TOdAY FOR A BETTER TOMORROW
kEy CSR INItIAtIVESOne of our key CSR initiatives is our annual Semakau Run.
The concept of the Semakau Run was conceived in 2007
for the purpose of encouraging the business community and
public to support environmental protection and social causes.
The Semakau Run is a platform to consolidate donations
from interested parties to environmental non-governmental
organisations (NGOs) and social service charities so that
they can continue to develop, improve, and maintain their
community outreach, environmental programmes and social
services for the better of the environment and society.
Having the event organised at our one and only landfill
shows participants first-hand the importance of sustainable
waste management in Singapore, and indirectly educates
the public on the need to reduce, reuse, and recycle.
In 2011, the Semakau Run received support from 24 donors
who pledged a total of S$280,000 to environmental NGOs
and our adopted charities — Singapore Children’s Society
and Children’s Cancer Foundation. The annual Semakau Run
symbolises the close partnership NEA has built over the years
with businesses and the public to work towards long-term
sustainable development for Singapore.
The Eco-Music Challenge is another example of NEA’s
continual effort to give back to the community while
promoting environmental sustainability. The Eco-Music
Challenge (EMC) is an online song-writing competition for
individuals to express their appreciation and support for the
environment through music. Through Facebook, YouTube
and Twitter, NEA reaches out to the youth community. The
EMC received wide support with more than 300 songs
submitted in 2011. The top finalists’ entries were compiled
into an album and its sales proceeds, amounting to about
S$10,000 was donated to the Nature Society.
NEA has also organised a number of CSR activities to
engage staff and allow them to contribute to the social
causes they believe in:
• In the wake of the Fukushima crisis in March 2011, NEA
staff pledged more than S$10,000 for the victims
• InJanuary2012,NEAorganisedtheVerticalChallenge
in which 344 staff members participated and donated
more than S$12,000 to the Community Chest
• In July 2011, invited guests from Children’s Cancer
Foundation (CCF) joined us for NEA Family Day at the
Singapore Zoo. Staff and CCF guests had a wonderful
time enjoying our planned activities, as well as the various
carnival games and booths that were set up at the zoo
• In October 2011, NEA adopted two charity organisations,
namely the Singapore Children’s Society and the
Children’s Cancer Foundation as we believe that the
next generation holds our future in their hands. Some of
the activities organised by NEA to raise awareness and
funds for them are as follows:
- In December 2011, NEA organised a Christmas party
for staff and invited Children’s Cancer Foundation
beneficiaries to join us. NEA’s giving spirit shined
brightly that day, presenting a total of S$5,000 to the
Foundation.
- In our 2012 Chinese New Year Recycling Drive, a
total of 170 kilograms of newspapers and 130
kilograms of old clothes were collected. On a one-
off special arrangement with our recycling company,
these recyclables were exchanged for cash, which
was subsequently donated to our adopted charity,
the Singapore Children’s Society. Through this
meaningful CSR initiative, NEA not only gave back
to the community but also imparted a valuable lesson
on recycling to staff.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is a social investment
that National Environment Agency (NEA) is committed to
as we believe that a socially responsible workforce is an
asset that creates long-term value for both NEA and the
community of which we are a part of.
In FY11, NEA has set up a more structured approach to
drive corporate social responsibility within the organisation,
intensifying staff engagement and arranging CSR activities
(e.g. Semakau Run, Christmas party) to draw in staff and
partners alike to contribute to the community.
Our CSR efforts, in line with NEA’s mission and core values,
encourage a caring culture within NEA as well as embrace
inclusiveness and sustainability. NEA’s structured approach
on CSR is shown below.
StRUCtUREd APPROACHDevelop an engaged, socially responsible workforce that gives back to the community, leveraging on
StRAtEgIES
OUtCOMES ANd kPIS
HEIgHtENEd PUBLICItyFor greater staff awareness of community
needs and opportunities to serve
Publicise needs and opportunities to encourage
staff volunteerism
Percentage of staff volunteers / total staff
ORgANISAtION SUPPORt To enable staff volunteerism and embed CSR
as an integral part of NEA’s culture
Put in place systems (education, recognition) to
support CSR
No. of community hours logged by staff volunteers
CLOSE PARtNERSHIPSWith adopted charities that align with NEA’s
mission and core values
Programmes that match staff skills and interests
with charity needs for deeper engagement
Total corporate-wide cash or in-kind contributions
NEA’S CSR APPROACH
Corporate Social Responsibility: Inculcating a Caring Culture within NEA
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A number of NEA’s off-site premises have also organised
their own CSR activities. Take for example, in 2011, North
West Regional Office ran a donation drive for soft toys and
old textbooks. The items were subsequently donated to
charity organisations.
NEA will continue to weave CSR components into our
celebrations and provide platforms for staff to care for the
community and environment. In 2012, NEA turns ten and
whilst we celebrate how far we have come, we will also
reach out to do our bit for our adopted charities. We will be
raising funds at NEA’s 10th Anniversary Dinner & Dance for
the Singapore Children’s Society, and organising a Charity
Run cum Sustainability Tour at Gardens by the Bay for the
Children’s Cancer Foundation. The Charity Run will not only
engage our staff and their families, but also those of our
partners’ as well as members of the public to raise awareness
on our twin messages — Environmental Sustainability and
Social Responsibility.
On 26 November 2011, NEA’s officers displayed a
great spirit of volunteerism while walking along Orchard
Road, en route to Scape. As they walked to their
destination, Team NEA, consisting of staff, family and
friends, cheered enthusiastically, “NEA, We Care”, at the
InternationalVolunteerDay.Thiseventwasorganisedby
theNationalVolunteerandPhilanthropyCouncil(NVPC)
to raise awareness on the plight of the less fortunate.
Team NEA was the largest organised group at the event
and the huge turnout demonstrated NEA’s commitment
towards CSR. Moreover, it was a great opportunity for
family and team bonding, as well as instilling the values
of caring for the less fortunate.
NEA PEER members also helped out at the booths
of our adopted charities. The interactive experience
at the exhibition — part of NEA’s Year-End Giving
Programme to promote staff engagement and the spirit
of volunteerism — left a lasting impression on NEA
volunteers, strengthening their resolution to do more for
the community.
Ms Saadiah Imbramsah,
South East Regional Office
“you feel great when you’re doing something like this, I am happy to walk with my family, as well as friends from HQ and other ROs for such a good cause. Such events really open my eyes and I’m looking forward to more volunteer opportunities like this.”
Mr Yeow Yhee Choon,
Energy Efficiency and Conservation Department
“Experience with Me is an insightful and hands-on programme where we got to take on the roles of the needy. through this activity, I got a sense of what they have to overcome in their daily lives and how we can help to alleviate their difficulties.”
“NEA,WeCare”atInternationalVolunteerDay2011
COLLABORAtION tO PROMOtE SUStAINABILIty AdOPtION NEA works with and supports various entities like
Singapore Compact and Singapore Business Federation
to promote sustainability to the business community
in the hope of getting more organisations to adopt
environmental sustainability within their organisation and
track their performance through sustainability reporting.
Some of the events that NEA supports our partners in
are the Singapore Compact Awards for Corporate Social
Responsibility, ACCA Singapore Awards for Sustainability
Reporting, Singapore Business Federation Singapore
Sustainability Awards, Singapore Environment Council
Environmental Achievement Awards Green Summit, etc.
The Training & Knowledge Division of NEA, Singapore
Environment Institute (SEI), also supports Singapore
Compact’s and ACCA’s efforts in organising workshops on
sustainability reporting to raise the business community’s
awareness on the importance of embracing sustainability
and to build up their capacity for future implementation. To
equip practitioners in the public and private sectors with the
skills and knowledge on various sustainability issues, SEI
also conducts specialised training programmes in subject
areas covering environmental pollution control, waste
management, resource conservation and efficiency and
environmental public health management. In addition, the
institute organises a variety of knowledge sharing initiatives
ranging from conferences, workshops and public lectures
to advanced thought leadership seminars to deepen local
expertise in the practice of sustainability.
LEAdINg By ExAMPLENEA's effort to publish a sustainability report has created
some interest amongst the sustainability reporting
consultancy industry. Our call for proposal to produce our
sustainability report through the GeBIZ — an online platform
where suppliers conduct e-commerce with the Singapore
Government — has led to more companies joining the GeBIZ
in view of potential future assignments on sustainability
reporting and consultancy work. The confluence of a pool of
sustainability reporting consultants will be useful for other
public organisations to readily tap on should they require
similar service in producing their sustainability report.
In addition, we hope that our sustainability report can help
to create the first ripple among Singapore public agencies,
and motivate more public agencies to embark on their own
journeys of sustainability.
Together with our partners, NEA hopes to jointly shape
Singapore’s business community and societal attitude
towards environmental ownership and sustainability
adoption, thereby moving a step closer towards achieving
our national environmental goals under the Sustainable
Development Blueprint.
Collaboration & Promotion Work for Sustainability
Ms Audrey Chan,
EnvironmentalHealthDepartment
“I’m really glad that I turned up… with the other NEA staff. It gave me an opportunity to be in the shoes of the needy and understand what they are going through. At one of the stations, I tried manoeuvring myself around on a wheelchair and only then I realised that you actually need to use a lot of energy to move around.”
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GRI INDICATORS REPORT PAGE
STRATEGY AND ANALYSIS
1.1 2 - 3, 6 - 7
1.2 2 - 3, 6 - 7, 22 - 25
ORGANISATIONAL PROFILE
2.1 4 - 5
2.3 4 - 5
2.3 4 - 5
2.4 4 - 5, 26 - 27
2.5 Not applicable for our specific business
2.6 4 - 5
2.7 Not applicable for our specific business
2.8 4, 13, 26 - 27, AR Financial Statement
2.9 26 - 27
2.10 28 - 29
GOvERNANCE, COMMITMENTS, AND ENGAGEMENT
3.1 26 - 27
3.2 Not applicable
3.3 26 - 27
3.4 26 - 27
3.5 22 - 25
3.6 26 - 27
3.7 26 - 27
3.8 Not applicable for our specific business
3.9 30 - 31
3.12 70 - 71
3.13 Report has not been externally assured
GRI INDICATORS REPORT PAGE
GOvERNANCE, COMMITMENTS, AND ENGAGEMENT
4.1 8 - 11
4.2 8 - 11
4.3 8 - 11
4.4 10 - 11, 47
4.6 8 - 11
4.7 8 - 11
4.8 6 - 7, 16 - 17
4.9 8 - 11, 12 - 15, 17, 18 - 19, 22 - 25
4.10 8 - 11, 12 - 15
4.11 12 - 15, 18 - 19, 23 - 25, 28 - 29, 35
4.12 28 - 29
4.14 24 - 25, 26 - 27
4.15 24 - 25
4.16 10 - 11, 12 - 15, 24 - 25
4.17 17, 11, 24 - 25, 50 - 54
ENvIRONMENTALMaterials
EN1 30
EN2 35, 40 - 41, 53
Energy
EN3 30
EN4 30
EN5 30, 34 - 39, 50 - 54
EN7 35, 36 - 39, 40 - 41, 52
Water
EN8 30
Biodiversity
EN11 35
EN12 35
EN13 35
EN14 35
GRI CONTENT INdEx GRI INDICATORS REPORT PAGE
HUMAN RIGHTSNon-Discrimination
HR4 47
Freedom of Association and Collective Bargaining
HR5 47
SOCIETYLocal Community
SO1 31, 66 - 69
SO9 66 - 69
SO10 66 - 69
Corruption
SO3 47
SO4 47
GRI INDICATORS REPORT PAGEEmissions, Effluents, and Waste
EN18 34 - 39, 50 - 54
EN19 35
EN20 35
EN21 35
EN22 35
EN23 35
Products and Services
EN26 35, 52
EN29 52
PRODUCT RESPONSIBILITYProduct and Service Labeling
PR5 24 - 25
PR6 12 - 15, 69
SECTOR SUPPLEMENT INDICATORS( In accordance with public agencies)
PA1 12 - 15
PA2 12 - 15
PA3 12 - 15
PA4 12 - 15
PA5 12 - 15
PA6 12 - 15
PA7 12 - 15
PA11 40 - 41
PA12 40 - 41
PA13 38 - 39, 40 - 41, 53
PA14 38 - 39, 40 - 41, 53
Sector Supplement Parameter on Administrative Efficiency
42 - 43, 52, 59 - 63
LABOUR PRACTICES AND DECENT WORKEmployment
LA1 31
LA2 31
LA3 56 - 58
Labor/Management Relations
LA4 47
Occupational Health and Safety
LA6 45 - 46, 63
LA7 31, 45 - 46, 63
LA8 63
LA10 31
Training and Education
LA11 55 - 56
LA12 47, 55 - 56
Diversity and Equal Opportunity
LA13 8 - 11, 31, 47, 55 - 56
Equal Remuneration for Women and Men
LA14 47
LA15 56 - 58
ECONOMIC (Refer to AR Financial statement for more information)
Economic Performance
EC1 31, 66 - 69, AR Financial statement
EC2 23 - 25, 28 - 29, 55 - 58
EC3 66 - 69
Market Presence
EC6 40 - 41
EC8 41
Indirect Economic Impacts
EC9 12 - 15, 41, 66 - 69
gRI CONtENt INdEx
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
gRI CONtENt INdEx
7170
NEA SuSTAINABILITY REPORT FY11
72
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