MAINTENANCE OF EXTERNAL WINDOW SURFACES

Mr Goh Chong Chia asked the Minister for National Development, in view of many maids who have fallen off lately from window ledges that they were cleaning, whether it is the management committee's duty to maintain the external window surfaces since these and the external surfaces of buildings are considered common property under the Land Titles (Strata) Act.

Mr Mah Bow Tan: For strata-subdivided buildings, windows installed in the external walls of the buildings, unless otherwise specified, are common property and the Management Corporation (MC) is responsible for the maintenance. However, the MC may, under a resolution, decide on how to discharge this responsibility. For example, they can pass a by-law to make the owners responsible for cleaning the windows in their units.

Nevertheless, owners have sometimes taken it upon themselves to clean the external windows when they are dirty, since they have the access from inside their flats. The MCs may have difficulty stopping the owners from doing so. Although there are some domestic workers who have fallen to their deaths from heights, the number is small in relation to the population of more than 100,000 domestic workers working in Singapore. Nevertheless, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is very concerned with the matter.

There are many reasons why domestic workers fall from heights. Hence, it is not possible to solve the problem using any single solution. MOM has adopted a multi-pronged approach in dealing with the issue. It has mounted several initiatives to educate both employers and their domestic workers on the importance of safety at work in the home environment. These include producing an information kit for the employers, an orientation video for the workers and the recently launched "Handy Guide for Foreign Domestic Workers". MOM will be coming out with new programmes to enhance the level of professionalism of employment agents in Singapore, including a review of our existing regulatory framework. It has also worked with CDCs to help organize safety courses for domestic workers. In this regard MOM will continue to work with community and non-governmental organizations to conduct safety courses for domestic workers.

Employers who are criminally negligent in unnecessarily exposing their domestic workers to work hazards will be prosecuted under the Penal Code. Employers also have a moral responsibility to ensure that their domestic workers work safely and are not exposed to unnecessary work hazards. This responsibility cannot be passed on to a third party including the Government. Employers would have to be prudent in using a safe method when they or their family member or domestic worker clean the window.