SSC And NUS Collaborate To Develop Sports Injury Database

27 August 2009

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SSC And NUS Collaborate To Develop Sports Injury Database

As part of the efforts to promote sports safety nationally, the information derived from the repository will help to develop measures to prevent and manage sports injuries

Singapore, 27 August 2009 - The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) and the National University of Singapore (NUS) have joined in partnership to develop a web-based Hazard Repository, which will include a Sports Injury Database to help monitor, manage and control risks associated with sports activities. Instead of relying on limited fatal and serious injury data, the system to be developed by the Safety Studies Initiative (SSI) of NUS will also capture data from all safety related incidents, including near-miss incidents.

The Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) was signed today between Mr. Oon Jin Teik, Chief Executive Officer, SSC, and Professor Barry Halliwell, Deputy President (Research & Technology), NUS, in the launch of the Safety Studies Initiative (SSI) to set up the Hazard Repository. With this collaboration, SSI together with the Sports Safety Division of SSC will proactively seek innovative solutions to prevent injuries associated with sports facilities and activities.
Said Mr. Oon, "The systemic collection and analysis of sports injuries and incidents is critical to our overall sports safety efforts in Singapore. It will help us to prevent injuries and manage risks at the sporting events. I am delighted to have NUS on board and am confident that it will build a robust system for the benefit of the sporting fraternity."
The SSI, which will function as an independent centre to study various safety-related problems in Singapore, will adopt a more proactive approach to injury prevention as early interventions can be designed based on data from incidents without waiting for any fatal or serious injury first to occur. Said Professor Halliwell, "For several years, the National University of Singapore has undertaken cutting-edge research on transportation safety and has been recognized internationally for the quality of research output in this area. With our rich experience of analyzing injury and traffic conflict data, we are pleased that we can extend this expertise to the field of sports. SSI has the potential to create further breakthroughs in safety research when the data from the Hazard Repository are mined."
The Director of SSI, Associate Professor Chin Hoong Chor of the Department of Civil Engineering shared, ?With this collaboration with SSC, we will use the Sports Injury Database as a pilot to develop a comprehensive and scalable system of data capture for all forms of hazards and unsafe behaviour. The experience gained in engaging sports training agencies, facility operators, event organizers and participants will help us to extend the Hazard Repository to include other forms of safety, such as home, playground, school, road and water safety."
SSI will study the data captured in the system and provide regular updates of safety trends. Together with Sports Safety Division of SSC, it will work with various agencies and organizations involved in injury prevention to facilitate public education, training programs and activities to promote safety. Under the SSI, insights derived from the analyses of the hazard data will be made available to the public. This will also encourage professionals involved in the fields of safety engineering, behavioral sciences and community medicine to embark on inter-disciplinary research and development projects to promote injury prevention and to design effective safety products.
Emphasising the need for the fullest cooperation from everyone, including private organisations, clubs, agencies, event organizers, sports associations and the public to report timely and accurately of injuries and incidents to SSI, Mr. Oon concluded, "Safety is everyone's responsibility and we need everyone to share the information with SSI openly as it helps to produce credible hazard analysis. Only then, will we be able to reap the full benefits of the system. We hope that with everyone's support, the system will further enhance our efforts to create a safe sporting environment in Singapore."

For media enquiries, please contact:

S. Parameswaran
Senior Manager, Corporate Communications & Relations
Singapore Sports Council
DID: 65005236
Email: parames_seenivasagam@ssc.gov.sg

Lo Tien Yin (Ms)
Senior Manager, External Relations Office
Faculty of Engineering
DID: 6516 4436
Email: tienyin@nus.edu.sg

About Singapore Sports Council
The Singapore Sports Council (SSC) is Singapore's lead agency tasked with developing sports in Singapore. Our vision is to create a Sporting Singapore where sport is a way of life. SSC aims to develop sports champions and create enjoyable sporting experiences for Singapore through the three strategic thrusts of cultivating a sporting culture, achieving sports excellence and creating a vibrant sports industry. Formed on 1 October 1973, SSC is a statutory board under the purview of the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports. Please visit www.ssc.gov.sg for more information.

About National University of Singapore (NUS)
A leading global university centred in Asia, the National University of Singapore (NUS) is Singapore's flagship university which offers a global approach to education and research, with a focus on Asian perspectives and expertise. NUS has 14 faculties and schools across three campuses. Its transformative education includes a broad-based curriculum underscored by multi-disciplinary courses and cross-faculty enrichment. Over 30,000 students from 100 countries enrich the community with their diverse social and cultural perspectives. Well-known for its research strengths in engineering, life sciences and biomedicine, social sciences and natural sciences, NUS shares a close affiliation with three Research Centres of Excellence, 21 university-level, 16 national-level and more than 80 faculty-based research institutes and centres. The University also strives to create a supportive and innovative environment to promote creative enterprise within its community. For more information, please visit www.nus.edu.sg