PART II 5.—(1) Overhead protection shall be erected along the periphery of every building which is under construction.| (2) Paragraph (1) shall not apply to any building which is less than 15 metres in height when completed. |
| (3) Overhead protection shall be not less than 2 metres wide and erected at a height not more than 5 metres from the base of the building and the outer edge of the shelter shall be 150 mm higher than the inner edge or shall be erected at an angle of not more than 20° to the horizontal sloping into the building. |
| (4) Where no one is required to work or to pass except persons who are at work in the vicinity, any area exposed to risk of falling materials or objects shall be roped off or otherwise guarded from inadvertent entry. |
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| 6. Every open side or opening into or through which a person may fall shall be covered or guarded by an effective barrier to prevent falls except where free access is required by work actually in progress. |
7.—(1) Where persons are exposed to the hazard of falling into water in which they may drown, there shall be provided at all times during the exposure, adequate equipment —| (a) | for keeping persons afloat; | | (b) | for promptly rescuing persons from the water; and | | (c) | for resuscitating rescued persons. |
| (2) A manned and properly equipped boat shall be provided if the Chief Inspector considers it necessary. |
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8.—(1) No employer shall suffer or permit an employee to use a passageway, scaffold, platform or other elevated working surface which is in a slippery condition.| (2) Oil, grease, water and other substances causing slippery footing shall be removed, sanded or covered to provide safe footing. |
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| Tripping and cutting hazards |
9.—(1) All passageways, platforms and other places of work shall be kept free from accumulations of dirt and debris and from other obstructions that could cause tripping.| (2) Any sharp projection which could cut any employee shall be removed or otherwise made safe. |
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10.—(1) Stairways, ramps or runways shall be provided as the means of access to working levels above or below ground except where the nature or progress of the work prevents their installation in which case ladders or other safe means shall be provided.| (2) All buildings under construction of more than 2 storeys high shall be provided with well defined access at the ground floor with adequate overhead protective cover for persons entering or leaving the building. |
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| 11. Dust and gases shall be controlled by ventilation or otherwise so as to prevent concentrations tending to injure health or obstruct vision. |
12.—(1) All alkalis, acids and other corrosive substances shall be so stored and used as not to endanger employees.| (2) Suitable protective equipment for the use of such substances shall be provided. |
| (3) A clean water supply shall be readily available for washing off any spillage of any corrosive substance on the employees. |
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| 13. Suitable eye protection equipment shall be provided for and shall be used by employees while engaged in welding or cutting operations or in chipping, cutting or grinding any material from which particles may fly, or while engaged in any other operation which may endanger the eyes. |
14.—(1) Where these Regulations require respirators to be provided, the employer shall provide and the employee shall use a respirator suitable for the type of operation for which it is to be used.(2) The employer shall —| (a) | maintain such respirator in good repair; | | (b) | furnish the means for its continued efficient working condition; and | | (c) | provide regular inspection and cleansing of such equipment. |
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15.—(1) Every employee required to pass or work within areas where there is danger of being struck by falling materials or objects shall be provided with a safety helmet of a type tested and approved by a testing body approved by the Chief Inspector.| (2) Every employee required to work in water, wet concrete or other wet footing shall be provided with suitable waterproof boots. |
| (3) Every employee required to work in rain or similar wet conditions shall be provided with a waterproof coat and hat. |
| (4) Every employee required to use or handle alkalis, acids or other corrosive substances shall be provided with appropriate protective apparel. |
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16.—(1) Before work is begun, the employer shall ascertain by inquiry or direct observation, or by instruments, where any part of an electric power circuit, exposed or concealed is so located that the performance of the work may bring any person, tool or machine into physical or electrical contact therewith.| (2) The employer shall post and maintain proper warning signs in the 4 official languages where such a circuit exists. |
| (3) The employer shall advise his employees of the location of such lines, the hazards involved and the protective measures to be taken and shall, if practicable, de-energize the electric power circuit. |
(4) No employer shall suffer or permit an employee to work in such proximity to any part of an electric power circuit that he may contact it in the course of his work unless the employee is protected against electric shock by —| (a) | de-energizing the circuit and earthing it; or | | (b) | guarding the circuit by effective insulation or other means acceptable to the Chief Inspector. |
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| (5) In work areas where the exact location of underground electric power lines is unknown, employees using jack-hammers, bars or other hand tools which may contact a line shall be provided with insulated protective gloves and insulated protective footwear. |
| (6) All wiring shall be supported on proper insulators and not looped over nails or brackets. |
| (7) No wiring shall be left on the ground or the floor of a building unless it is unavoidable. |
(8) Where it is necessary to lay electric wiring on the ground or the floor of a building, the wiring shall —| (a) | be of the weather-proof types; | | (b) | be provided with adequate mechanical protection to withstand the wear and abuse to which it may be subjected; and | | (c) | be maintained in good and safe working order. |
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| (9) No bare wires or other unprotected conductors shall be located within 4 metres of any surface where employees may work or pass, unless completely guarded by a fence or other barrier. |
| (10) Where electrical appliances and current carrying equipment have provisions made for earthing, they shall be properly earthed. |
| (11) All temporary electrical installations in building and engineering construction worksites shall be provided with earth leakage circuit breakers. |
(12) Elevated power lines shall —| (a) | have a sufficient vertical clearance where they cross highways, access roads or areas travelled by trucks, cranes, shovels or other similar equipment; and | | (b) | by no means be lower than 5.2 metres from the ground surface. |
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(13) All electrical installations in building and engineering construction worksites shall comply with the requirements of —| (a) | the Public Utilities (Electricity) Regulations (Cap. 261, Rg 2); and | | (b) | the Public Utilities (Electricity Supply) Regulations (Cap. 261, Rg 3). |
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(14) All electrical installations shall —| (a) | be tested and approved by the Chief Electrical Engineer of the Public Utilities Board, or his representative, or by any electrical worker before they are commissioned; and | | (b) | be maintained in good and safe working order. |
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| (15) For the purpose of paragraph (14), “electrical worker” shall have the same meaning as in the Electrical Workers and Contractors Licensing Act (Cap. 89). |
| (16) All temporary electrical installations shall comply with the Singapore Standard CP 88 : Part I : 2001, Code of Practice for Temporary Electrical Installations — Part 1: Construction and Building Sites, and any amendment thereto. |
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17.—(1) All portable power-driven hand operated saws which are not mounted with saw tables except chain saws shall be equipped with —| (a) | guards above the base plate which will completely protect the operator from contact with the saw blade when in motion; and | | (b) | self-adjusting guards below the base plate which will completely cover the saw to the depth of the teeth when the saw is removed from the cut. |
| (2) Every power-driven saw which is mounted with a saw table shall be equipped with a guard which shall cover the saw blade to such an extent as will prevent contact with any part of the teeth which are more than 50 mm above the saw table and which are not protected by the spreader or similar device. |
(3) When in operation, the guard shall —| (a) | automatically rise by pressure from the material; or | | (b) | be so adjusted that as the saw cuts the material, the distance from the material to the underside of the guard does not exceed 12 mm. |
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| (4) The exposed teeth of the saw blade beneath the table shall be effectively guarded. |
| (5) Every table circular saw used for ripping shall be provided with a spreader securely fastened in position and with an effective device to prevent the kicking back of material. |
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18.—(1) Whenever any work is being performed over, on or in close proximity to a highway or any other place where public vehicular traffic may cause danger to men at work, the working area shall be so barricaded and suitable warning signs and warning lights shall be set up to direct traffic away from it and, when necessary, the traffic shall be specially controlled by designated persons.| (2) All vehicles used at construction worksites shall be roadworthy and registered with the appropriate authority in accordance with the Road Traffic Act (Cap. 276) and any subsidiary legislation made thereunder. |
| (3) No person shall drive a vehicle of any class or description in a construction worksite unless he is the holder of a driving licence authorising him to drive a vehicle of that class or description. |
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| 19. No wall, chimney or other structure or part of a structure shall be left unguarded or unshored in such condition that it may fall, collapse or weaken due to wind pressure, vibration or any work being carried out in the vicinity. |
| Structures and supports to be checked |
| 19A. Any supporting structure or foundation of a supporting structure and other support shall be checked periodically for excessive corrosion, erosion, physical deterioration or alteration to ensure that their stability is not affected and that they are suitable and sufficient to perform the function for which they are intended. |
| Illumination of passageways, etc. |
20.—(1) Illumination sufficient for maintaining safe working conditions shall be provided wherever persons are required to work or pass.| (2) For passageways, stairways and landings, the illumination shall be not less than 50 lux. |
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| Storage of materials and equipment |
21.—(1) All building materials shall be stored or stacked in a safe and orderly manner so as not to obstruct any passageway or place of work.| (2) Material piles shall be stored or stacked in such a manner as to ensure stability. |
| (3) Material or equipment shall not be stored upon any floor, scaffold, runway or working platform in such quantity as to exceed its safe carrying capacity. |
| (4) Material or equipment shall not be stored or placed so close to any edge of a floor or platform as to endanger persons below. |
| (5) Any material stored inside a building which is under construction shall not be placed within 1.8 metres of any hoist way or floor openings or within one metre of an exterior wall if the wall does not extend beyond the top of the stored material. |
| (6) No person shall work in a silo, a hopper or a tank where materials are stored or in any other similar storage area unless he is equipped with a safety belt and a life line secured to a suitable anchorage. |
| (7) Any material stored in bags shall be stacked by stepping back the layers and cross-keying the bags at least once every 10 bags high. |
| (8) Cement bags, bricks, tiles, cement blocks or other building materials shall not be stacked more than 2.3 metres in height. |
| (9) Any stack of bricks or cement blocks which is higher than 1.2 metres should be stepped back every 30 cm in successive tiers. |
| (10) When masonry blocks are stacked, the stack shall be stepped back one-half block per tier for every tier above 1.8 metres. |
| (11) Cantilevered platforms erected more than 3 metres above the ground level and used for temporary storage or placement of materials shall be constructed in accordance with the design and drawings of a professional engineer. |
| (12) Sign boards showing the safe working load of a platform shall be prominently displayed at suitable locations at the platform. |
| (13) The platform shall not be loaded beyond its safe working load except by an inspector testing the platform, or by the professional engineer who designed it. |
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22.—(1) Debris shall be handled and disposed of by a method which will not endanger persons.| (2) Debris shall not be allowed to accumulate so as to constitute a hazard. |
| (3) Debris shall be kept sufficiently moist to lay the dust. |
| (4) Debris shall not be thrown from buildings whether under construction or completed. |
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| Numbering and marking of floors |
| 23. Each floor of every building under construction shall be appropriately numbered or marked at the landing of every floor of every staircase or other means of access. |
24.—(1) All persons who are performing any work or service in a worksite shall wear safety helmets according to the following colour code: | | | (a) Owner, architect, engineer and their site staff |
| | | (b) Main contractors, site agents, foremen and other site supervisors of main contractors |
| | | (c) Sub-contractors and supervisory staff of sub-contractors |
| | | (d) Site safety supervisors and contractor safety supervisors |
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| (2) The red stripe referred to in paragraph (1) shall be 50 mm wide along the centre-line of the helmet from front to back across the crown. |
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25.—(1) Any main contractor who undertakes building operations or works of engineering construction of a contract sum of $5 million or more shall appoint a full-time site safety supervisor who shall spend at least 40 hours per week exclusively on safety supervision and on promoting the safe conduct of work.| (2) Any main contractor who undertakes building operations or works of engineering construction of a contract sum of less than $5 million shall appoint a part-time site safety supervisor who shall spend at least 15 hours per week exclusively on safety supervision and on promoting the safe conduct of work. |
(3) The site safety supervisor shall be a person who —| (a) | is competent to perform the duties specified in paragraphs (4) and (5); | | (b) | possesses such qualifications as are approved by the Chief Inspector; and | | (c) | has a minimum of 2 years’ experience as a site foreman. |
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(4) The site safety supervisor shall —| (a) | ensure that the provisions of the Act and any regulations made thereunder are complied with; and | | (b) | promote the safe conduct of the work generally within the worksite. |
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(5) The duties of a site safety supervisor shall include —| (a) | inspecting and rectifying any unsafe place of work; | | (b) | correcting any unsafe practice; | | (c) | checking sub-contractors’ work to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Act and any regulations made thereunder; and | | (d) | liaison with contractor’s safety supervisors with respect to safety of work undertaken by sub-contractors. |
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| Contractor’s safety supervisors |
26.—(1) Every contractor other than the main contractor in charge of a worksite who employs more than 20 persons to carry out work on a worksite shall appoint a part-time contractor’s safety supervisor.| (2) The part-time contractor’s safety supervisor shall spend at least 5 hours per week exclusively on safety supervision and on promoting the safe conduct of work generally by his employees. |
(3) The contractor’s safety supervisor shall be a person who —| (a) | is competent to perform the duties specified in paragraph (4); and | | (b) | has a minimum of 2 years’ experience as a site foreman. |
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(4) The contractor’s safety supervisor shall —| (a) | ensure that the provisions of the Act and any regulations made thereunder are complied with; and | | (b) | promote the safe conduct of the work by the other employees of his employer employed on that worksite. |
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27.—(1) The main contractor of a worksite in which 50 or more persons are for the time being employed (whether by him or by other contractors) shall establish a safety committee (on which both employees and management are represented) for the purpose of keeping under review circumstances in the worksite which may affect the safety and health of the persons employed therein.(2) The safety committee shall consist of —| (a) | a senior member of the main contractor’s staff at the site; | | (b) | the site safety supervisor; | | (c) | all contractor’s safety supervisors; and | | (d) | such other site workers who are appointed as members. |
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| (3) The safety committee shall meet at least once a month. |
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27A.—(1) Where the contract sum of the work to be carried out is $10 million or more, the occupier of the worksite shall implement a safety management system for the purpose of ensuring the safety and protecting the health of all workers in the worksite.(2) The safety management system shall include —| (a) | safety policy, including the allocation and delegation of responsibility for safety; | | (b) | safe work practices; | | (c) | safety training; | | (d) | group meetings; | | (e) | incident investigation and analysis; | | (f) | in-house safety rules and regulations; | | (g) | safety promotion; | | (h) | a system for the evaluation, selection and control of sub-contractors; | | (i) | safety inspections; | | (j) | a maintenance regime for all machinery and equipment; | | (k) | hazard analysis; | | (l) | the control of movement and use of hazardous substances and chemicals; and | | (m) | emergency preparedness. |
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27B.—(1) Where the contract sum of the work to be carried out is $30 million or more, the occupier of the worksite shall appoint an independent external auditor to audit the safety management system of the worksite at least once every 6 months.| (2) Where the contract sum of the work to be carried out is less than $30 million, the occupier of the worksite shall conduct a review of the safety management system of the worksite at least once every 6 months. |
| (3) Where the contract sum of the work to be carried out is less than $30 million, the Chief Inspector may, if he considers it necessary, direct the occupier of a worksite to appoint an independent external auditor to audit the safety management system instead of conducting a review. |
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