Banning lorries from transporting workers not practical, could force smaller firms to shut: Amy Khor

SINGAPORE – Banning the practice of transporting workers in the back of lorries is “not practical”, as doing so may spell the end for some micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), Senior Minister of State for Transport and Sustainability and the Environment Amy Khor told Parliament on Feb 26.

“For many micro, small and medium enterprises, it is neither practical nor viable for the employers to have different vehicles and drivers to transport a small number of workers separately from their equipment and goods,” Dr Khor said.

She added that a ban would significantly impact the viability of some SMEs, and “many of them could be forced to shut down, causing workers, both local and foreign, to lose their jobs”.

This would have

knock-on effects

, such as “delays for critical projects like HDB (housing), schools, hospitals and MRT lines, and result in higher cost for Singaporeans”, Dr Khor said. 

She was responding to a question from Mr Louis Ng (Nee Soon GRC), who asked what feedback the Ministry of Transport had received about improving the safety of workers transported in the back of lorries, and banning the practice altogether.

He also asked how the ministry planned to address such feedback.

Mr Ng has been a

staunch advocate for the safety of workers being ferried around in the back of lorries,

in a longstanding debate that started in the 2000s.

Dr Khor also noted that banning the use of lorries is “not feasible” because of an “acute shortage” of bus drivers, faced by the public transport, school bus and tour bus sectors.

However, the Government is focused on encouraging alternatives to lorries, such as buses, she said.

Dr Khor cited the example of home-grown construction company Woh Hup, which has been transporting most of its workers in buses rather than lorries.

“Industry associations and employers have said they will do their best to transition to safer modes of transport for workers where possible,” she said.

The Government is also aiming to reduce the need to transport workers, for instance by building worker dormitories near construction sites. This is the case in shipyards and at large construction sites, Dr Khor said.

Another focus is on making it “safer for everyone when employers need to use lorries to ferry their workers”, she said.

She named measures such as installing speed limiters in lorries, making sure workers with driving responsibilities have enough rest, and the mandatory installation of rain covers so that workers are not exposed to the elements.

In a Facebook post later on Feb 26, Dr Khor said “employers also have the responsibility to ensure that workers are transported safely”.

The Ministry of Manpower, with the support of the Traffic Police, will take action against companies if they are found to be shirking this responsibility, such as by not ensuring sufficient rest for drivers, or requiring drivers to meet unreasonable schedules.

In the post, Dr Khor noted that the annual average number of workers injured while being transported in the back of a lorry fell by more than 25 per cent, from 215 between 2015 and 2019, to 161 between 2020 and 2024.

“Over the last 10 years, there was an average of one fatality transported on the back of a lorry per year,” she wrote.

A Bangladeshi worker was one of three workers travelling in the back of a lorry when he

died in an accident in Tuas on Dec 15, 2024.

Forty-year-old Shohag Mohammad, who was employed as a welder in Singapore, was pronounced dead at the scene with multiple injuries.

A heavy tool box being transported in the back of the lorry, along with the workers, had reportedly fallen on him.

Transport Minister Chee Hong Tat said on Jan 7 that the driver of the lorry is being investigated for causing death by a negligent act, which carries a maximum penalty of a two-year jail term and a fine.