Tougher penalties for firms that disregard workplace safety rules
Construction workers working at a construction site, Jan 15, 2014. TODAY file photo
SINGAPORE — With the construction sector’s chequered record on workplace safety persisting, a more stringent system that punishes violations with restricted access to foreign workers will kick in on July 1.
Demerit points will stay with a company for 18 months, up from the current 12, and apply on a company-wide basis, instead of by contract.
The current three-tiered system, which escalates penalties for repeatedly and severely errant firms, will also be scrapped for a single-stage system, where accumulation of demerit points will immediately trigger debarment of foreign workers.
The number of demerit points for different types of violations will also be adjusted to deter employers from putting workers in unnecessary risks at work.
Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Manpower) Hawazi Daipi announced these changes during the Ministry of Manpower’s (MOM) Committee of Supply debate yesterday. The changes aim to sustain firms’ adherence to providing safe working conditions. He noted that the construction sector accounted for 45 per cent of workplace fatalities last year.
As for the management of Major Hazard Installations (MHI), which deal with highly hazardous chemicals, Mr Hawazi said an Inter-Agency Taskforce has completed its work and come up with several changes. The task force was set up last year to review and enhance the existing regulatory framework.
Among them, a National MHI Regulatory Office will be set up next year to better coordinate assessments, inspections and investigations. The office will be led by MOM, and consist of officers from the Singapore Civil Defence Force and the National Environment Agency.
A set of MHI Regulations will also be introduced under the Workplace Safety and Health Act in the first half of next year.
Responding to a question from Mr Patrick Tay (Nee Soon) about the medical and accident insurance coverage for freelancers who are injured at work, Mr Hawazi said there is no “one-size-fits-all solution” given the diverse nature of their work. Industry associations, working together with unions, may be better placed to take the lead in this area, he added. AMANDA LEE
