Transportation of Foreign Workers (Safety Requirements)
Mr Christopher de Souza: To ask the Minister for Transport what steps will his Ministry take to ensure the safety of foreign workers when they are transported to and from work sites and whether minimum safety requirements such as proper seats and shelter from rain will be mandated
Mr Raymond Lim Siang Keat:
Sir, to reduce business costs, owners and hirers of goods vehicles are currently allowed to use their vehicles to transport their workers to and from their places of work or business, subject to various safety regulations. LTA has put in place a set of rules under the Road Traffic Act to enhance the safety of workers transported at the rear of lorries and pickup trucks.
These rules require the workers to be safely seated at a height of not more than 3.2 metres from the ground. A label must also be displayed on the goods vehicles to indicate the maximum number of workers that can be transported, based on a minimum space requirement per person.
If goods are also transported, the number of persons should be reduced accordingly. The label serves as a reminder to the vehicle owner of the maximum number of workers the vehicle can carry as well as facilitates enforcement against errant employers who overload their vehicles.
As announced earlier this year, a Work Group, co-chaired by the Land Transport Authority and Ministry of Manpower, has been formed to review and further enhance the safety of workers transported on lorries.
This Work Group comprises representatives from government agencies and the various industry stakeholders such as the Singapore Contractors Association, the Singapore Transport Association and the Singapore School & Private Hire Bus Owners' Association.
The Work Group is reviewing the adequacy of the existing safety regulations and studying what more can be done. The Work Group expects to complete its report and begin implementation of its recommendations before the end of 2008.
