Singapore has formed national taskforce to improve the safety of crane operations and reduce fatalities and injury rates, local media reported on Thursday. Last year, there were 162 crane-related fatalities, injuries and dangerous incidents, a 27 percent increase from 128 cases in 2007, local TV broadcaster Channel NewsAsia reported. The Singapore government said while most of the cases involve less serious non- fatal injuries, crane incidents could potentially lead to massive and severe damage to both physical properties and human lives. The taskforce will embark on a three-pronged strategy to improve crane safety. These include enhancing training, greater outreach efforts to top management, crane manufacturers and operators and reviewing codes of practice. For a start, the taskforce has reviewed 40 crane incidents that occurred over the years and identified important learning points and areas of improvements. The taskforce will provide further updates on its progress early next year. 