WSH (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013 & WSH (Construction) (Amendment) Regulations 2013

The Workplace Safety and Health (Work at Heights) Regulations 2013 (WAH Regulations) have been gazetted and published on 15 April 2013. It will come into operation on 1 May 2013.

About the new Regulations

The key provisions in the new Regulations are:
(a) Fall Prevention Plan (FPP) – A specific provision mandates the establishment and implementation of a FPP in accordance with any Approved Code of Practice issued by the WSH Council. This provision will only be effective on 1 May 2014 to allow industry time to build up their capability;
(b) Permit-to-work System (PTW) – A specific part pertaining to the control of work at height where a person could fall from a height of more than 3 metres. This will also be effective on 1 May 2014 to allow industry time to have people trained and qualified to implement the PTW system;
(c) Training of workers, supervisors and other WAH personnel – Training requirements for work at height personnel are emphasised to ensure effective conduct and oversight of work performed at heights;
(d) Work on Roof and Fragile surface – Specific provisions on safe working on roof as well as working near fragile surface are included to require persons working there to be more vigilant; and
(e) Industrial Rope Access System – Due to its high-risk nature, a specific part has been included to address this area of concern.

The scope of coverage of the proposed Regulations will be in two phases, as follow:
1 May 2013
- Comes into force and applicable only to factories.
1 May 2014
- Coverage will be expanded to all workplaces
- Establishment and implementation of a FPP for workplaces specified in the Schedule
- Implementation of a PTW system for work at height where a person could fall from a height of more than 3 metres.

The WSH (Construction) Regulations have also been amended to delete those replica provisions in the new WSH (Work at Heights) Regulations via the WSH (Construction) (Amendment) Regulations 2013.

Leveraging on available assistance and resources
To help industry get ready for the Regulations, the WSH Council has rolled out various capability building initiatives during the recent Programme-based Enagagement (ProBE) Forum on 4 April 2013. These include:

• Revised Approved Code of Practice on Working Safely at Heights (LINK) - Includes new chapter on the PTW for WAH, sample templates on FPP and decision flow chart for PTW.
• Roll out of the enhanced Construction Safety Orientation Course in 1 May 2013 (LINK) - Includes new practical assessment on areas such as WAH.
• Enhancements to WAH training
  - Workers will be trained in basic WAH knowledge (such as the correct use of a personal fall arrest system) while supervisors will be trained on how to check that all fall preventive measures are in place before work commences.
  - Two new levels (WAH course for Assessor and Managers) will also be offered.
• A new WAH Train-the-trainer course has been developed to keep trainers up-to-mark on WAH fundamentals and ensure quality of training.

WSH (Noise) Regulations

WORKPLACE SAFETY AND HEALTH (NOISE)REGULATIONS 2011 These Regulations shall come into operation on 1st September 2011. PART I - PRELIMINARY Regulation 1. Citation and commencement 2. Definitions 3. Application PART II - NOISE CONTROL 4. Measures to reduce or control noise 5. Appointment of competent person to advise on noise control 6. Duty of manufacturers and suppliers of noisy machinery or equipment PART III - NOISE MONITORING, HEARING PROTECTORS AND TRAINING 7. Noise monitoring 8. Hearing protectors 9. Training programme PART IV - MISCELLANEOUS 10. Revocation The Schedule Click for more details

Five Parties Convicted for Failing to Ensure Workplace Safety

Two companies from the marine industry and three of their employees were convicted on 1 April 2010 for failing to ensure workplace safety. The convicted parties were fined a total of $485,000.

One of the companies was responsible for the death of 3 workers and injuries sustained by 10 others in two separate incidents in 2008. In the first incident, the company was engaged to install hydraulic pipes on a vessel. A fire broke out on the vessel and injured four workers.

It was found that the project manager had allowed compressed oxygen to be used to test the pipes. The pipes' rusty and rough interior generated heat when the pressurised oxygen passed through them. The heat, combined with the oxygen, rust and lubricating oil found in the vicinity, led to the explosion.

In the 2nd incident, 2 months later, a flash fire broke out on a vessel during spray painting works at the company's premises. The accident left 3 workers dead and 6 others injured. Investigations found that the company did not effectively ventilate the tanks to ensure that flammable vapours generated from the spray painting works did not build up. The ship repair manager had also approved the permit-to-work without ensuring the implementation of all safety measures, e.g. preventing workers from bringing in unsafe torchlights, which could have been the ignition source.

The 2nd company convicted was responsible for an accident on board a ship that claimed 2 lives, and injured another. The workers were assigned to clean a tank and they entered it even though it contained a high concentration of toxic Hydrogen Sulphide gas. Investigations revealed that the company had failed to provide them with safety equipment such as breathing devices and personal gas monitors. One of the supervisors had also told the workers to enter the tank even though it was dangerous to do so.

Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council, Mr Lee Tzu Yang said the deaths and injuries in the cases are a "sombre reminder" of the workers affected by poor safety standards and a disregard for safety rules. "Each of the five workers who died had unfulfilled dreams and families who will miss them everyday. Industry players must constantly remind ourselves that we have a responsibility to ensure the safety of our workers. At no time should anyone disregard any safety measures so as to take an easier route to complete a job. In each of these cases, someone had ignored important safety measures," he said. On behalf of the WSH Council, he urged all stakeholders to think about the impact of one's actions and to always keep safety foremost on their minds.

Source: WSH Alert dated 27 Apr 2010

APPROVED CODES OF PRACTICE

WSH (APPROVED CODES OF PRACTICE) NOTIFICATION 2010
Come into effect from 1st February 2010

1. Code of Practice for Working Safely at Height - 2009
2. SS 537: Code of Practice for Safe Use of Machinery
Part 1: General requirements - 2008
3. SS 531: Part 1: Code of Practice for Lighting of Work Places,Indoor - 2006
4. SS 531: Part 2: Code of Practice for Lighting of Work Places, Outdoor - 2008
5. SS 531: Part 3: Code of Practice for Lighting of Work Places, Lighting requirements for safety and security of outdoor work places - 2008
6. SS 548: Code of Practice for Selection, use, and maintenance of respiratory protective devices (Formerly CP 74:1998)- 2009
7. SS 549: Code of Practice for Selection, use, care and maintenance of hearing protectors (Formerly CP 76:1999)- 2009
8. SS 536: Code of Practice for the safe use of mobile cranes Formerly CP 37:2000)- 2008
9. SS 510: Code of Practice for safety in welding and cutting (and other operations involving the use of heat)- 2005
10. CP 101: Code of Practice for safe use of powered counterbalanced forklifts - 2004
11. CP 91: Code of Practice for lockout procedure - 2001
12. CP 27: Code of Practice for factory layout — safety, health and welfare considerations - 1999
13. CP 62: Code of Practice for the safe use of tower cranes - 1995
14. CP 63: Code of Practice for the lifting of persons in work platforms suspended from cranes - 1996
15. CP 79: Code of Practice for safety management system for construction worksites - 1999
16. CP 84: Code of Practice for entry into and safe working in confined spaces - 2000
17. CP 14: Code of Practice for Scaffolds - 1996
18. CP 20: Code of Practice for suspended scaffolds - 1999
19. CP 23: Code of Practice for formwork - 2000
20. CP 88 – 1: Code of Practice for temporary electrical installations — Construction and building sites - 2001
21. CP 88 – 3: Code of Practice for temporary electrical installations — Shipbuilding and ship-repairing yards - 2001
22. SS 473 – 1: Personal eye-protectors — general requirements - 1999
23. SS 473 – 2: Personal eye-protectors — selection, use and maintenance - 1999
24. SS 508 – 1: Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Design principles for safety signs in workplaces and public areas - 2004
25. SS 508 – 3: Graphical symbols — Safety colours and safety signs — Safety signs used in workplaces and public areas - 2004
26. SS 98: Industrial safety helmets - 2005
27. SS 513 – 1: Personal protective equipment — Footwear — Safety footwear - 2005
28. SS 513 – 2: 2005 Personal protective equipment — Footwear — Test methods for footwear - 2005

Amendment to the Environmental Public Health Act

There is an amendment to the Environmental Public Health Act. For details, please click here.