Regulation on Maximum Number of Continuous Work Hours Per Day and Total Number of Work Hours Per Week for Construction Site Supervisors

36 Miss Rachel Ong asked the Minister for Manpower (a) whether the number of continuous work hours per day and the total number of work hours per week undertaken by construction site supervisors overseeing work health safety issues are being monitored; and (b) whether there are regulations on the maximum number of continuous work hours per day and total number of work hours per week allowable for construction site supervisors.

Dr Tan See Leng: Construction site supervisors are protected from excessive working hours under Part 4 of the Employment Act. They are not allowed to work more than 12 hours a day and should not be contractually required to work more than 44 hours in a week. Should they be required to work overtime, they can only work up to 72 overtime hours in a month. They are also not required to work more than six continuous hours without a break.

Furthermore, under the Workplace Safety and Health Act, employers are required to conduct proper risk assessment of work activities and plan and manage their employees’ workload and work shift so as to manage fatigue.