Emcee - NTUC U Safe Award and Conference 2026

Emcee Ivan
Dec 8, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Mar 26

Date - 25th March 2026

Venue - NTUC Centre

Emcee - The NTUC U Safe Awards and Conference 2026 was a significant event held on Wednesday, 25 March 2026, at the Stephen Riady Auditorium, NTUC Centre. The event served as a powerful platform to recognise exemplary efforts in workplace safety and health (WSH), while also fostering critical conversations on emerging challenges and future strategies. The emcee, Ivan, skillfully guided attendees through a comprehensive programme that blended solemn remembrance with celebratory recognition and forward-looking discourse. The day began with a minute of silence to honour workers who had lost their lives at work, setting a serious and purposeful tone for the proceedings.

The core of the morning session was the U Safe Awards presentation, which emcee Ivan introduced as the Labour Movement's way of honouring unions, unionised companies, and union leaders for their outstanding contributions to advancing WSH. Emcee Ivan explained that the awards are structured into three key categories: the U Safe Star Award recognises individual union leaders who champion WSH programmes, advocate on national platforms, and drive innovative safety solutions; the U Safe Champion Award celebrates unionised companies that demonstrate strong WSH performance, foster active engagement, and work closely with unions on safety initiatives; and the U Safe Advocate Award honours unions that build WSH capabilities among their members, actively promote safety across their branches, and drive continuous improvement.

The award presentation was a key highlight, featuring a distinguished group of VIPs. Emcee Ivan invited the Guest of Honour, NTUC President, Sister K. Thanaletchimi, accompanied by the Special Guest, Minister of State for Manpower, Brother Dinesh Vasu Dash, along with Brother Lim Teck Chuan and Sister Noor Irdawaty, the Chair and Co-Chair of the NTUC Workplace Safety and Health Committee, and NTUC Assistant Secretary-General, Brother Melvin Yong, to the stage. Emcee Ivan then facilitated the presentation of awards, with Brother Teck Chuan presenting the U Safe Star Awards to union leaders, Minister of State Dinesh presenting the U Safe Champion Awards to companies, and Sister Thanaletchimi presenting the U Safe Advocate Awards to unions. Following the presentations, emcee Ivan orchestrated a group photo session with all awardees and VIPs, creating a memorable moment of collective recognition.

Beyond the awards, the event held a deeper significance as it marked the 20th anniversary of the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Emcee Ivan highlighted this milestone, noting the Act's evolution from the Factories Act and its role in expanding safety protections across all workplaces. This commemorative spirit was further reinforced by a special interactive segment where emcee Ivan led the audience in a collective pledge. Emcee Ivan invited everyone to pin on a special commemorative Ume pin—the NTUC mascot donning a construction helmet—and led a call-and-response, asking “Safety starts with?” to which the audience replied “U & Me,” symbolising the shared responsibility for safety.

Following the awards and keynote addresses from Sister Thanaletchimi and Minister Dinesh, emcee Ivan seamlessly transitioned the programme into the conference segment, guiding attendees through a series of focused discussions. The conference was structured into three key sessions. Emcee Ivan introduced the first session on Environment and Climate Risks, where speakers discussed emerging risks from Singapore’s green transition and the critical issue of managing heat stress. After a lunch break, emcee Ivan reconvened the audience for the second session on Workforce Evolution, which explored age-inclusive safety and managing global workforce risks. For the final conference segment, emcee Ivan introduced the topic of Health and Wellbeing, which featured presentations on building a strong safety culture through leadership and the importance of psychological first aid for emotional trauma following workplace incidents. To conclude the conference, emcee Ivan invited Brother Tay Ee Learn, Assistant Chief Executive and Chief Sector Skills Officer at NTUC LearningHub, to present tokens of appreciation to all the speakers, acknowledging their valuable contributions.