New rules in place to protect workers handling higher-risk machinery, combustible dust
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
A protective wall shields workers from flying chips at Wah Son Engineering.
ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
Follow topic:
SINGAPORE – From Jan 1, 2025, companies must follow new rules to ensure safer use of higher-risk machinery and combustible dust.
Following a 2021 Tuas explosion that killed three workers
The accident was linked to a mixer machine that exploded in a workshop on the first floor of a building in Tuas Avenue
Factory occupiers must also inform the ministry and landlords if they are handling specified combustible dust at or above the threshold quantity set out in the regulations.
For instance, a company handling plastic combustible dust weighing 100kg and above must notify MOM at least a month before starting its use in the facility.
Another enhanced safety measure that was announced on Nov 29 is the expansion of the list of higher-risk machinery, which now includes the industrial use of mixer, cutter and packaging machines.
Others in the updated list are sheet benders and sheet rollers, lathes (cutting tools) and milling machines, and food processors.
Existing duties under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act that relate to manufacturers, suppliers, installers and modifiers of these additional classes of higher-risk machinery will be applied.
It is mandatory for manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that machinery used is designed, examined and tested to be safe, the ministry said. Information must be provided on how to use the machinery safely.
Additionally, the onus is on installers and modifiers to make sure that any installation or modification made to the machinery does not compromise its safety.
The new rules will give buyers of machinery greater assurance that they meet the required safety standards.
For extra assistance, buyers can contact any of the five inspection companies listed under MOM’s inspection programme for safe machines.
Combustible dust and industrial machinery can pose significant risks to workers, as seen in the 2021 incident, said Mr Zaqy Mohamad, chairman of the Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (Mast) and Senior Minister of State for Manpower.
“We will conduct checks to ensure compliance with these measures. Companies can better prepare for the new requirements by tapping the resources available on the WSH Council’s website,” he said.
Non-compliance of a stop-work order will result in fines of up to $500,000 and an additional fine of $20,000 for each day of continued offence, and up to 12 months of imprisonment.
According to MOM, machinery-related incidents accounted for about 14 per cent of fatal and major injuries in 2023, with about 60 per cent of cases in the manufacturing sector.
Singapore has more than 7,000 manufacturing workplaces, with many of them operating high-risk machinery and managing supplies of combustible dust.
During a visit to Chung Shan worksite in Woodlands Avenue on Nov 28, the media was shown labels stating “Warning: May form explosible dust-air mixture if dispersed” pasted on combustible dust containers and packages.
MOM requires such warnings to be explicitly reflected on the labels.
Chung Shan’s in-house products include doors and door frames for Build-To-Order projects.
One of the newer features the company installed in its mixing room is explosion-proof lighting, which limits sparks or excessive heat.
Speaking to the media on Nov 28, Chung Shan managing director Sussie Sarah Tan said that when combustible dust lingers in the air, it may be ignited by sparks, causing an explosion.
“Control measures will mitigate these risks,” she said, adding that regular housekeeping, such as cleaning the mixing room daily after use, is critical.
“For a business owner, safety always comes first. When the workers are healthy, they are happy. There are also fewer absentees with fewer disruptions to our operations, increasing productivity,” she said.
While these measures can be costly, she noted, workers have voiced their satisfaction with the increased investments in workplace safety.
Mr Chen Zhouchuan, 34, a machine operator who has been working there for two years, said these safety enhancements have guaranteed his health and safety at work.
Wah Son Engineering, whose core business involves manufacturing tools for the aerospace industry, has put in place enhanced safety standards such as installing polycarbonate (semi-plastic) panels in front of a Japanese milling machine in its workshop at Seletar Aerospace Heights. This prevents chips, such as wood or aluminium bits, from flying out.
Executive director Lim Hee Joo said Wah Son’s staff would visit suppliers’ facilities in Germany or Japan before buying machinery from them.
“We would visit factories to see how they make the machines. We would also ask to visit their customers who have been using the equipment for more than five years to observe how they use them safely so that those safety procedures can be used for our workers here,” she added.
