NEW LEGISLATION ON OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY HEALTH

Mr Yeo Guat Kwang asked the Minister for Manpower if his Ministry will consider introducing legislation to have a new Occupational Health and Safety Act or to amend the Factories Act to extend its coverage beyond factory building to other workplaces.

Dr Lee Boon Yang: The current Factories Act in Singapore provides for the safety, health and welfare of persons working in premises defined as "factories". These "factories" are traditionally premises in the manufacturing, construction, shipbuilding and ship-repairing industries where hazardous work processes are carried out.

Since its enactment in 1958, the Act was amended several times. The last amendment in 1995 extended the coverage of the Act to premises such as laboratories, warehouses and aircraft parking bays. My Ministry is reviewing the Act with the intention of covering workers engaged in maintenance work on the MRT and LRT, ie, repair or maintenance work carried out on any rail, track, including viaducts and tunnels. However, there is a limit to which the Factories Act can be extended, beyond which the term "factories" would become meaningless.

The workforce covered by the existing Factories Act is about 700,000, which is about one-third of the total workforce. In the next millennium, Singapore's economy will see a shift towards the knowledge-based economy (KBE). In order to support a vibrant KBE, we must create a safe and healthy workplace with world class occupational safety and health standards. This will allow our workforce to work safely and productively.

My Ministry is currently reviewing the safety and health legislation to ensure that workers, including knowledge workers of the future will be adequately protected at work. New legislation on occupational safety and health may be required to cover the workplace of the future and to promote greater self-regulation by employers and manufacturers of machinery and work tools.