Low-decibel Construction Works on Sundays and Public Holidays

Mr Teo Siong Seng asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether his Ministry will consider allowing construction works like painting works which do not exceed the maximum permitted noise levels of 50-55 dBA to be carried out on Sundays and public holidays between 10.00 am and 5.00 pm in order to increase productivity in the construction industry.

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Dr Vivian Balakrishnan: The National Environment Agency (NEA) controls noise from construction sites by stipulating maximum allowable noise limits in the Environmental Protection and Management (Control of Noise at Construction Sites) Regulations. Despite tightening the noise limits for night-time, Sundays and public holidays in October 2007, NEA continues to receive many complaints about construction noise on Sundays and public holidays. These complaints include those about permitted and relatively quiet activities, such as housekeeping and painting, due to intermittent noise, such as knocking or dropping of equipment and noise made by construction workers.

NEA had consulted the construction industry and relevant Government agencies including MND and MOM on noise abatement measures prior to the implementation of the prohibition of all construction activities on Sundays and public holidays. This is in line with the practice in cities like Tokyo, Seoul and Hong Kong. To ensure consistency in the application of the prohibition, NEA does not allow any work, including painting and dry works, to be carried out on-site on Sundays and public holidays.

To allow the industry time to adjust, NEA has implemented the prohibition in phases. For construction projects which commenced on and after 1 September 2010, NEA has prohibited all work from 10.00 pm on Saturdays and the eve of public holidays to 10.00 am on Sundays or public holidays. For construction projects which commenced on and after 1 September 2011, the prohibition was extended to 7.00 am on the following Monday or the day after the public holiday. However, critical public projects, like key transport infrastructure and schools, are exempted from these regulations.

I would like to reassure Mr Teo that my Ministry and NEA recognise the constraints faced by the construction industry. However, we are also mindful of our residents' need for good rest and expectations of a quiet living environment, especially during Sundays and public holidays. Besides the use of standards and regulations, NEA will continue to study how to leverage on technology to reduce noise. We will also continue to encourage the construction industry to adopt good practices to reduce construction noise and we hope Mr Teo and other members of the public can help us do this. The public can contact NEA via their call centre number: 1800-2255632, email: [email protected] or "myEnv" mobile application to provide feedback on these issues.