Over 15,000 maids learn to 'lock, check, open'

New course teaches them easy to remember safe window-cleaning tips

Lock, check, open. First, lock the window grilles. Check to make sure they are locked before cleaning the out-facing windows. Then, open the grilles to clean the inside panels.

This is what more than 15,000 maids have been taught to do since May to be safe when cleaning the windows of high-rise homes.

The cleaning tip is part of the new Settling-In-Programme (SIP), a course that replaces an entry test that was scrapped after non-governmental organisations, maid agencies and maids complained that it was too difficult for non-English speakers.

The compulsory, one-day course teaches first-time maids how to work safely and adjust to life in Singapore.