Steps to improve safety of workers ferried in lorries

All lorries ferrying workers will now be equipped with speed management devices and must have a designated person in the vehicle who can stop the driver if he is driving in an unsafe way.

The Manpower Ministry will also introduce new rules to make sure drivers, especially those who also work on-site, have enough rest. This is on top of existing regulations that cap working hours to 12 hours a day and up to 72 overtime hours a month.

Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor yesterday announced these new measures to better protect workers being ferried in lorries, adding that all lorries used to ferry workers must be fitted with rain covers - waterproof canvas tarps - to protect the workers against the elements.

She was responding to Mr Melvin Yong (Radin Mas) who, along with other advocates, have been asking if it was possible to do away with transporting workers by lorries altogether.

Citing smaller companies which said they have to transport a small crew with bulky equipment to several locations in a single day, she said lorries remain the most efficient vehicle for this dual purpose.

Private bus operators also said there were simply not enough buses and drivers to transport the more than 280,000 workers employed in the manufacturing and construction and marine sectors.

"A full transition to buses could require a doubling or even tripling of the number of large private buses in the industry today," said Dr Khor. "Furthermore, the bus operators shared that the shortage of bus drivers would be an even more binding constraint."

She, however, did not rule out a future where all workers will be transported by buses.

"These challenges are not all insurmountable, but we will need time to work through them with the industry and relevant agencies," she said, adding that the authorities will study the conditions for success to enable more companies to make the shift."

Some firms have already shifted away from using lorries for some projects. Construction firm Tong Tar Transport has ferried about 3,000 workers between dormitories and worksites in buses.

Commenting on the measures, Mr Yong told The Straits Times that speed limiters on lorries are an important interim safety measure that he has been calling for, but said the authorities can do more.

By using technology to better match demand and supply, one bus could ferry workers from different dormitories to multiple worksites at different times of the day, optimising the current supply of buses, he said.

He hoped the ministry will consider conducting trials to see if such technology is mature enough.

On Dr Khor's point that fitting seat belts on lorries is not feasible as the floorboards in lorries might not be strong enough to keep the seat belts anchored, Mr Yong said Singapore should work with top lorry manufacturers to import lorries that come already equipped with seat belts.

"In the longer term, the Land Transport Authority can consider revising its lorry homologation process so that only those that can allow for seat belts to be installed can be sold in Singapore."

Dr Stephanie Chok, executive committee member of non-profit organisation Transient Workers Count Too (TWC2), said adding a speed limiter will not eliminate the inherent danger posed by transporting workers in lorries, and using it suggests that drivers are to blame instead. She called on the authorities to set concrete commitments for the transition to buses, with clear and reasonable deadlines.