LEGISLATION ON USE OF METAL SCAFFOLDING

Mr Lim Boon Heng asked the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour whether he intends to introduce legislation concerning the use of metal scaffolding in the construction industry, and whether such use will be made compulsory in order to enhance the safety of construction workers.

The Minister of State for Labour (Dr Wong Kwei Cheong) (for the Minister for Communications and Minister for Labour): Mr Speaker, Sir, my Ministry intends to introduce legislation concerning the use of metal scaffolding in the construction industry.

The legislation, however, will not make the use of metal scaffolding compulsory. It will require contractors to provide a set of proper platforms to be erected at the edge of a building under construction. This will ensure that workers can carry out their tasks with adequate protection. As one of the better ways of meeting this requirement is through the use of metal scaffolds, the introduction of this requirement in the legislation will promote the use of such scaffolds.

Encik Abbas Abu Amin (Pasir Panjang): Mr Speaker, Sir, will the impending legislation on the use of metal scaffolds impose an unnecessary financial strain on the construction industry owing to the high capital cost involved in the use of metal scaffolds?

Dr Wong Kwei Cheong: Mr Speaker, Sir, the majority of the worksites are still not provided with the minimum protection, in terms of work platforms and overhead shelters, to ensure the safety of workers. Contractors have to incur additional expenses in order to provide satisfactory safety provisions, The use of metal scaffolding to provide this safety measure is. no more expensive than providing conventional safety measures. The Ministry had, in fact, conducted a study on the cost impact on the use of metal scaffolds. The study showed that the use of metal scaffolding to satisfy safety requirements is no more expensive than using conventional measures such as work platforms and overhead shelters. Hence the contention that the use of metal scaffolds will impose undue financial strain on contractors is not justified. It can be said that the increase in expenditure on safety measures required by the new legislation only underlines the fact that some contractors have been neglecting the responsibilities in this area.

Mr Liew Kok Pun (Boon Teck): Mr Speaker, Sir, what is the safety situation in the construction industry? Is it so bad that it justifies an increase in expenditure on safety provisions?

Dr Wong Kwei Cheong: Mr Speaker, Sir, there were a total of 1,085 accidents in 1981. Of these, 28 were fatal cases and another 25 involved permanent disablement. This compares favourably with that for 1980 where a total of 927 accidents were reported, with 32 fatal cases and 10 cases of permanent disablement. In terms of number of fatal accidents per thousand workers, the situation has improved slightly from 0.49 to 0.38. On the whole, it can be said that the accident situation in the construction industry is under control.

However, in view of the move to promote mechanization in the construction industry and the increasing influx of new and non-traditional sources of labour into the industry, it is envisaged that the number of accidents will again take an upward trend if the proper measures are not taken. Although the fatal accident frequency rate appears to have been stabilized, it must be pointed out that the safety situation in industry is very dynamic. There is a very thin line between near-misses, minor accidents and the fatal ones. Our statistics show that falling objects and workers falling still account for some 60% of the accidents in industry. A worker struck by a falling object can sustain slight injuries or be killed instantly. Therefore, it can be appreciated that any accident within this category is potentially fatal. Against this background it is imperative that concerted efforts must be made to improve safety measures in these two areas. The increase in expenditure in safety provision is therefore justified.