https://www.ntuc.org.sg/uits/news/new-video-surveillance-requirement-and-increase-fines-to-curb-construction-site-accidents/
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong welcomes the new measures to reduce accidents.
for upload.jpeg
While working on the upcoming Serangoon Polyclinic project site recently, construction worker Muthu Kannan adjusted the chin strap of his safety helmet away from his mouth to make it easier for him to have a drink.
Later in the day, his supervisor warned Muthu not to do it again as it breached safety guidelines.
Muthu’s actions were captured by a video surveillance system (VSS) installed by the project’s contractor, Zheng Keng Engineering and Construction Pte Ltd, at the worksite to monitor high-risk activities.
Muthu, a 28-year-old worker from India, said that this measure has made him and his colleagues more vigilant at work.
Zheng Keng Engineering and Construction added that safety breaches have reduced since the VSS was implemented in 2022.
“The number of hazards we observed used to be around nine or 10 per week. After the implementation, the number dropped to four or five because the workers are being monitored and watched by the CCTV,” said the company’s workplace safety and health officer, Guo Jin Shun.
The VSS is one of two measures the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST) is implementing to entrench a culture of workplace safety and health (WSH) excellence.
At a visit to the Serangoon Polyclinic construction site on 27 May 2024, Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad announced that construction companies would be required to install a VSS at sites with a contract sum of $5 million and above in locations with high-risk work activities.
Mr Zaqy also announced that the Government will increase the maximum fines from $20,000 to $50,000 for safety breaches that could result in death, serious bodily injury, or dangerous occurrences.
The VSS and increased fines will be implemented from 1 June 2024.
NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Melvin Yong and other WSH industry stakeholders joined Mr Zaqy at the site visit.