FACTORIES (AMENDMENT) BILL

Order for Second Reading read. 6.06 pm

The Acting Minister for Labour (Prof. S. Jayakumar): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill seeks to amend the Factories Act, 1973 -

(a) firstly, to require medical supervision and examinations prescribed under the Act for workers to be carried out by persons who are trained in occupational medicine and registered with the Chief Inspector of Factories;

(b) secondly, to provide for more stringent requirements on the safety of workers who have to work at heights or at places where there is risk of drowning or asphyxiation;

(c) thirdly, to confer powers on the Chief Inspector of Factories to deal with unsafe conditions in factories; and

(d) fourthly, to make improvements in the legislation in the light of experience gained.

The amendments are described in the Explanatory Statement to the Bill. I would like, however, to comment on some of the more important amendments.

Under section 62 of the Act, the Minister can make regulations to require medical supervision and examination of workers employed in occupations involving risks to health. Clause 16 of the Bill seeks to amend this provision to empower the Minister to make regulations to require the medical supervision and examination to be carried out by persons registered with the Chief Inspector of Factories and to prescribe the qualifications and conditions for such registration. Members will recall that the reasons for this have been fully explained on previous instances and I need not repeat the explanations again.

Suffice it, however, Sir, to reiterate that many industrial diseases such as noise-induced deafness, silicosis, asbestosis and lead poisoning, develop gradually over a period of time. Although symptoms and signs may be minimal in the early stages, these diseases can, with progression, lead to physical disability or death. However, if regular medical examinations of workers exposed to such hazards are carried out, the diseases can be detected in their early stages and remedial action taken.

The total number of confirmed cases of occupational diseases has been on the increase. It rose from 331 cases in 1973 to 760 in 1983. With the establishment of more industries using new chemicals, materials and processes, this number is expected to rise.

There is, therefore, a pressing need for the health of workers who are engaged in occupations involving risks to health to be monitored closely. My Ministry will be introducing regulations to require such workers to undergo regular medical examinations and tests in accordance with the regulations.

Sir, another major concern of my Ministry is the safety at construction sites. The accidents rate in the construction industry must be brought down. Every effort will have to be taken to improve safety in the sector in order to encourage our own citizens and residents to take up employment in the industry.

Singapore is experiencing a construction boom. Unfortunately, there has also been a concomitant rise in the number of industrial accidents in the industry from 927 in 1980 to 1,916 in 1983.

One of the most common causes of accidents at construction sites is the failure by contractors to take adequate safety measures for workers who have to work at heights. In 1983 alone, there were 400 accidents involving workers falling from heights. The accidents resulted in 46 deaths.

The present section 33 of the Act requires an occupier of a factory, which includes contractors at construction sites, to provide means such as safety belts and fencing if a worker is required to work at a place from which he is liable to fall at a distance of more than three metres and if the place does not afford a secure foothold and handhold. Most occupiers will provide safety belts to the workers even if their safety can be better ensured by providing footholds and handholds.

Clause 4 of the Bill seeks to amend section 33 to make it mandatory for footholds and handholds to be provided. Safety belts or fencing can be provided only where it is demonstrated that it is impracticable to provide footholds and handholds. The clause also extends the requirements of the section to places from which workers are liable to fall or into any substance which can cause drowning or asphyxiation and prohibits any person from directing workers to work at such places unless the requirements of the section have been complied with.

Finally, I would like to draw attention of the House to clause 10 of the Bill.

At present, the Chief Inspector of Factories can issue an order under section 46 of the Act to prohibit the use of any part of the ways, works, machinery or plant in a factory if such use is likely to result in any of the dangers which are classified as dangerous occurrences in the Act.

Another section, section 47 of the Act, allows the Minister to have powers to prohibit any work or process in a factory and to order an occupier to take steps to remove any danger to workers in a factory. The powers under this section 47 are wider and can be invoked when there is any risk to the safety, health or welfare of workers. The orders are issued upon a report by the Chief Inspector.

Now, because of the limited powers of the Chief Inspector under section 46, even common infringements at construction worksites, such as the one which I mentioned earlier, and infringements relating to dangerous machines have to be referred to the Minister for an order to prohibit any work or process until the danger is removed. The issue of such orders involve considerations which are technical in nature. It will therefore be more expedient to transfer the powers of the Minister under section 47 of the Act to the Chief Inspector of Factories. This will enable the Chief Inspector of Factories to deal with any unsafe conditions in factories more swiftly. The amendment in clause 10 of the Bill is to give effect to this transfer of powers.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed. 6.15 pm

Dr Tan Cheng Bock: Mr Speaker, Sir, allow me to make a very small comment. I am in full agreement with the Minister on most of the clauses that he has mentioned except on clause 16. I would just like to caution him to weigh very carefully whether only a special category of doctors should be allowed to do this statutory medical examination. This examination, with proper guidance, is relatively simple and any MBBS doctor should be able to do it. Therefore, we must not allow only one group of doctors to do this examination or else we might create a cartel.

Prof. Jayakumar: Mr Speaker, Sir, I had to refresh my memory of the Budget debate last year in preparation for the Second Reading of this Bill, and so I am familiar with the very exhaustive debate which took place during the Budget debate where the hon. Member spoke and expressed his criticisms of the factory designated doctor scheme. I am also aware that the then Minister for Labour had also given a very exhaustive reply upon which I could not possibly hope to improve. Suffice it for me to say, Mr Speaker, Sir, only two points. First, the hon. Member need not fear that this scheme will create a cartel because he and other medical practitioners are also free to enrol for the factory designated doctor course.

Secondly, I would like to inform him that like him, other doctors had also initially expressed reservations about this scheme. But it would interest him and others to know that during the first course on occupational medicine which the National Productivity Board conducted, the NPB also conducted a survey amongst the 30 doctors who attended the course. 90% of them found the course useful to their work and 87% even said that they would recommend the course to fellow medical practitioners which, I think, proves that such training is indeed perceived to be useful and necessary even by those who initially had reservations.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the Bill. - [Prof S. Jayakumar].

Bill considered in Committee.

[Mr Speaker in the Chair]

Clause 1 -

The Chairman: The citation year will be altered from "1983" to "1984'.

Clause 1 ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Clauses 2 to 16 inclusive ordered to stand part of the Bill.

Bill reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.