SINGAPORE: The Manpower Ministry has ruled that with
immediate effect, employers shall not allow their foreign domestic
workers to clean the exterior of windows unless two safety
conditions are met.
Firstly, the employer or an adult is physically
present to supervise the maid.
And, secondly, window grilles must be installed and
locked at all times during the cleaning process.
MOM said the new rules will apply to all homes, except for windows
that are at ground level or along common corridors.
It emphasised that anyone who cleans the exterior of their windows
at home should follow similar safety requirements.
The ministry explained that many foreign domestic workers do not
come from high-rise environments and may not be used to Singapore's
urban living environment.
They are therefore likely to be unaware of the risks in a high-rise
domestic setting.
Apart from window cleaning, employers should take necessary steps
to eliminate the risks involved in other tasks by following the Dos
and Don'ts covered in MOM's guidebooks and pamphlets.
If foreign domestic workers are required to hang laundry outside
the window using bamboo poles, employers should ensure that they do
not stand on an elevated platform or tip-toe while handling the
poles, and do not overload the pole with too many clothes.
MOM said it will be sending a circular to all existing foreign maid
employers to inform them of the tightened safety
requirements.
The ministry will also be updating its training materials for
first-time maids and their employers.
MOM warned that failure to comply with these tightened requirements
constitutes a breach of the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work
Passes) Regulations.
Employers who fail to comply may be prosecuted and permanently
barred from hiring a foreign domestic worker.
For added deterrence, MOM also plans to raise the penalty for
employers prosecuted for failing to provide foreign domestic
workers with a safe working environment.
MOM said it intends to double the penalties from the current
S$5,000 fine and/or six months' jail to S$10,000 fine and/or 12
months' jail. This is part of the ongoing review of the Employment
of Foreign Manpower Act and its subsidiary legislation later this
year, said MOM.
The ministry said it is deeply concerned with the recent spate of
fatalities involving foreign domestic workers.
Since January this year, there have been nine work-related fall
from heights fatalities, compared to four cases for the whole of
2011 and eight in 2010.
The ministry's investigations show that five of the nine fatalities
were related to foreign donestic workers cleaning windows in an
unsafe manner.
Two arose from hanging laundry, while the causes of the last two
are pending further investigation.
The ministry said this tragic and unnecessary loss of lives could
have been prevented if foreign domestic workers and their employers
took safe work practices seriously.
- CNA/ck
