Updated Workplace Safety Advice and Measures in View of More Adverse Weather Events

8 Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye asked the Minister for Manpower in respect of the erratic weather conditions in Singapore (a) what are the workplace safety measures that the Ministry has put in place, beyond providing advisory to employers, to ensure the safety of workers in industries with high risk of exposure to erratic weather conditions and those performing outdoor work; and (b) how does the Ministry ensure compliance with these measures.

9 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Manpower in view of the advisory on preparing for adverse weather events issued by the Ministry of Manpower and Workplace Safety and Health Council (a) whether the Ministry will consider further specifying the weather conditions, such as wind intensity and outdoor temperature, under which workers should not be deployed for work; and (b) how will the Ministry collect feedback on working under adverse weather conditions, particularly from foreign workers who may face communication problems due to language barriers.

The Senior Minister of State for Manpower (Mr Zaqy Mohamad)(for the Minister for Manpower): Mr Speaker, Sir, may I have your permission to take Question Nos 8 and 9 together, please?

Mr Speaker: Please go ahead.

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: Sir, given the wide range of possible weather conditions and the ways in which such weather conditions can affect the diverse range of worksite situations, it is not practical for the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) to specify thresholds for companies to stop work. Instead, as guided by MOM's advisory on preparing for adverse weather events, companies must implement relevant measures that are specific to their business and safety needs.

For example, companies are advised to prepare for potential strong wind situations by tying down essential structures or placing critical electrical equipment away from low-lying areas. Companies are also advised to subscribe to weather alerts so that they can promptly activate their contingency plans and temporarily stop outdoor work during strong wind conditions or when there is thunder or lightning. After adverse weather, companies should inspect the worksite for damage, unstable structures or safety hazards before resuming work. In addition, employers and workers may refer to the revised heat stress measures for outdoor work that MOM issued in September to protect outdoor workers against heat stress.

During MOM's regular safety inspections, companies must demonstrate that they have taken the necessary measures to mitigate workplace safety and health risks, including those arising from weather conditions. Those who have failed to do so will be subject to appropriate enforcement actions.

Workers are advised or encouraged to share their feedback and report unsafe workplace practices to MOM via SnapSAFE, which is a camera-based form. They can just take a photo and send it up. Migrant workers can also submit their feedback and concerns through MOM's FWMOMCare mobile application, which is available in their native languages and use it to reach MOM's Forward Assurance and Support Teams (FAST) and request for a call back. Additionally, they can also approach MOM's Friends of Assurance, Care and Engagement (FACE) migrant worker volunteers who serve as a bridge between their peers and MOM.

Mr Speaker: Mr Melvin Yong.

Mr Melvin Yong Yik Chye (Radin Mas): Sir, I thank the Senior Minister of State for his response. In the past few months, we have seen a wide variation of erratic weather conditions in Singapore, from extreme heat to extreme rain. These erratic weather patterns are set to become a norm due to climate change.

First, how will MOM manage unwanted consequences due to delays from all these adverse weather conditions and to ensure that employers do not compromise on safety due to the need to then catch up and meet deadlines?

Second, does MOM have any plans for long-term measures to better protect workers against these erratic and adverse weather conditions, such as updating building codes and also other workplace protocols?

Thirdly, I would like to ask if the MOM would study the health impact of long-term exposure to such erratic weather patterns, especially for workers who are performing outdoor work?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: I thank the Member for his supplementary question. In fact, MOM and the other agencies monitor this quite closely, especially with the evolving weather patterns that are ongoing. But the challenge is that it is very difficult to impose a guide on when you put in stop work orders, because the variations may be quite different for different worksites.

Some may be construction sites, for example, or both may have different types of ways in which they conduct their work. One could be more prefab, so, therefore, it is more mechanical. Others may be more physical. Therefore, it is incumbent on the employer and the site occupier to be able to make the risk assessments. This is where we put the burden on the employers and the worksite occupiers to ensure that the workplace safety guidelines are all adhered to.

This is an evolving situation, but for example, we had recently put out an advisory for preparing for adverse weather conditions. And therefore, some of the recent guides that have been given to companies – as recent as September 2024 – were to, for example, monitor weather conditions via systems and alerts. This guides them to take a risk assessment, looking at what the weather is like and looking at all worksites and see how that impacts their risk assessments and how they need to implement suitable risk controls.

At the same time, to communicate hazards to workers and train them to report to their supervisors if there are adverse conditions that affect their work or safety. Ultimately, they also need to prepare a recovery plan because post adverse weather conditions, you will have to, for example, check on the structures and integrity of affected structures and critical outdoor machinery, after any weather event.

These are quite dynamic situations across different worksites and therefore, at the moment, I think it is important that employers come train, look into the advisories and see how best these weather conditions affect their worksites and how these affect their risk assessments.

As we move on, as we have done with the heat stress advisory, the agencies and MOM will study this and see what the long-term implications are. Because many of these are constantly evolving and we have been fortunate not to have extreme weather conditions such as extreme heat waves, for example. We will continue to monitor and look at scientific evidence to determine what the course of actions would be, if there would be any.

Mr Speaker: Ms Joan Pereira.

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Thank you, Speaker. I have a supplementary question for the Senior Minister of State. Can the Ministry consider introducing industry-specific best practices and training to be rolled out, in collaboration with industry associations and unions, in preparing companies to implement workplace safety measures for adverse weather conditions?

Mr Zaqy Mohamad: I thank the Member for her question. Certainly, MOM works closely together with the Workplace Safety and Health Council, as well as our tripartite partners and the trade associations to ensure that we engage both employers and workers to make the assessments on what are the best practices. From time to time, even before incidents occur, we try to provide templates for risk assessments and how they can manage these advisories.

The information is disseminated to employers and workers to various channels, such as our websites, FWMOMCare app, unions, trade associations and social media platforms, as well as fora conducted by Workplace Safety and Health Council and seminars.

I think it is important that we continue to issue reminders to the industry on weather-related hazards through various communication channels. Some of these materials that were recently introduced would be materials, such as the heat stress management compliance checklist, the advisory for preparing for adverse weather events, guidelines on wet-bulb globe temperature, or WBGT, monitoring for outdoor work. And these are already specific guides to help them implement good practices and to protect their workers from weather related hazards.

Ultimately, I think even within Singapore, from time to time, in different locations, you will have variations in weather conditions as well, and therefore, it is hard to say a one-size-fits-all rule for everyone. All employers, as I mentioned earlier, do need to make that risk assessment based on your worksite conditions, based on the equipment that you are using, based on the structures that you have, to ensure that your workers are best protected against weather hazards. And that also includes post-weather hazard events as well, to ensure that, post-work hazards, these do not affect structures and equipment that could affect them as they operate after the weather event.

So, in short, yes, we will do that. Do look out for these advisories as they come along, as this is a situation that is still evolving and one that we are monitoring.