SINGAPORE'S OK CRITERIA FOR FOREIGN WORKER DORMITORIES

SINGAPORE'S OK CRITERIA FOR FOREIGN WORKER DORMITORIES

5.

Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources whether the Ministry will consider imposing the "Singapore's OK" criteria to all approved foreign worker dormitories.

Assoc. Prof. Dr Yaacob Ibrahim: The National Environment Agency (NEA) re-launched the "Singapore's OK" (SOK) programme last year to reinforce the importance of good hygiene and sanitary standards amidst concerns over the global spread of Influenza A H1N1. The SOK programme is a voluntary programme targeted at the operators of different premises, including foreign worker dormitories. The SOK criteria comprise best practices operators can adopt to maintain a clean and hygienic environment. These practices include having a regular programme to clean common areas and living quarters, and internal inspections to ensure that the workers keep their quarters clean. A dormitory is certified SOK if the operator meets the SOK criteria.

NEA does not plan to make the SOK criteria mandatory to avoid being overly prescriptive on the practices operators must adopt. Dormitory operators are expected to uphold a reasonable hygiene and sanitary standard, by adopting measures appropriate to their individual circumstances. To guide operators, NEA published the Guidelines for Good Environmental Health Practices for Dormitories and Hostels which are more detailed than the SOK criteria. These guidelines have been circulated to all dormitory operators.

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NEA also carries out regular inspections to ensure that an adequate standard of hygiene and sanitation is maintained at all foreign worker dormitories. Regardless of whether the dormitory operators adopt the SOK criteria, they will be penalised for any lapses uncovered during NEA's inspections.

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