Workplace Safety and Health Act

• Jurisdiction: Singapore
• Coming into Force: 31 July 2009
• Act Number: (Original Enactment: Act 7 of 2006)
• Enactment Date: 01 March 2006
• Record Number: Cap. 354A
• Published date: 31 July 2009

Workplace Safety and Health Act

(CHAPTER 354A)

(Original Enactment: Act 7 of 2006)

REVISED EDITION 2009

(31st July 2009)

An Act relating to the safety, health and welfare of persons at work in workplaces.

[1st March 2006]

PART I PRELIMINARY Short title 1. This Act may be cited as the Workplace Safety and Health Act. Application of Act 2. Except as otherwise provided in this Act (but not the regulations), the provisions of this Act shall apply to all workplaces. [18/2011 wef 01/09/2011] Application of Act to Government 3.—(1) Except as provided in subsection (2), this Act shall bind the Government and shall apply to — (a) any workplace wholly or partly owned or occupied by the Government; and (b) any premises in which any building operation or any work of engineering construction is carried on by or on behalf of the Government. (2) Nothing in this Act shall render the Government liable to prosecution for an offence. (3) For the avoidance of doubt, no person shall be immune from prosecution for any offence under this Act by reason that the person is engaged to provide services to the Government.

PART II INTERPRETATION General interpretation 4.—(1) In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires — “accredited training provider” means a training provider accredited by the Commissioner to provide safety and health training courses for the purposes of section 31; “air receiver” means — (a) any vessel (other than a pipe or coil or an accessory, a fitting or part of a compressor) for containing compressed air and connected with an air compressing plant; (b) any fixed vessel for containing compressed air and used for the purpose of starting an internal combustion engine; (c) any blast air bottle; or (d) any vessel in which any substance in the form of solid or liquid is stored and from which it is forced by compressed air; “approved code of practice” means any code of practice issued or approved under section 40B, and includes any such code of practice as amended from time to time under that section; “at work” means — (a) in relation to an employee, all times when the employee is performing work in connection with any trade, business, profession or undertaking carried on by his employer, wherever that work is carried out; (b) in relation to a self-employed person, all times when the person is performing work as a self-employed person, wherever the work is carried out; and (c) in any other case, all times when the person is performing work at the direction of the other person who engaged him, wherever the work is carried out; “authorised examiner” means any person approved by the Commissioner under section 33 for the purpose of carrying out any prescribed examination or test of any — (a) hoist and lift; (b) lifting gear; (c) lifting appliance or lifting machine; (d) steam boiler; (e) steam receiver; (f) air receiver; (g) refrigerating plant pressure receiver; (h) pressure vessel; or (i) any other machinery required by this Act to be examined or tested by an authorised examiner; “bodily injury” includes injury to health, the contraction of a disease, and the aggravation, acceleration or recurrence of any bodily injury or disease; “building” includes — (a) the whole or any part of any house or any other structure, whether used for the purpose of human habitation or otherwise; and (b) any structure, support or foundation connected to the house or structure referred to in paragraph (a); “building operation” means — (a) the construction, structural alteration, repair or maintenance of a building (including the re-wiring of any electrical installation, the replacement of any lift, air-conditioning plant and ancillary ducting of a building, and the re-pointing, redecoration and external cleaning of the structure); (b) the demolition of a building; or (c) the preparation of a site for, and the laying of foundation of, an intended building, but does not include any operation which is a work of engineering construction; “class or description”, in relation to workplaces, includes a group of workplaces described by reference to locality; “Commissioner” means the Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health appointed under section 7; “contract of service” means any agreement, whether oral or in writing, express or implied, whereby any person agrees to employ any other person as an employee and that other person agrees to serve as his employee, and includes a contract of apprenticeship; “contractor” means a person engaged by another person (referred to in this Act as the principal) otherwise than under a contract of service — (a) to supply any labour for gain or reward; or (b) to do any work for gain or reward, in connection with any trade, business, profession or undertaking carried on by the principal; “Council” means the Workplace Safety and Health Council established under section 39; “dangerous occurrence” means any occurrence which is specified in the First Schedule; [18/2011 wef 01/09/2011] “Deputy Commissioner” means a Deputy Commissioner for Workplace Safety and Health appointed under section 7; “electrical installation” means any cable, wire, fitting, accessory, apparatus or other device used for or for purposes incidental to the conveyance, control or use of electricity; “employ” means to employ the service of any person to do any work under a contract of service, with or without remuneration; “gas” includes any gas in its gaseous or liquid state; “gas plant” — (a) means any plant, apparatus or machine for the manufacture or storage of any gas; and (b) includes pipes and appliances used in carrying any gas to the place where the gas is to be used; “inspector” means an inspector appointed under section 7(3) and includes the Commissioner and any Deputy Commissioner; “learning report” means a learning report prepared and published under section 27A; [Act 44 of 2017 wef 01/01/2018] “lift” includes any lifting appliance or lifting machine used for carrying persons, whether together with goods or otherwise; “lifting appliance” includes a pulley block, gin wheel, chain block or set of chain blocks; “lifting gear” includes — (a) any chain, rope, chain sling, webbing sling, rope sling, ring, hook, shackle, swivel or eyebolt; and (b) any cage or work platform used for carrying persons while it is suspended from the load line of a crane; “lifting machine” includes — (a) any crane, crab, winch, teagle, runway, transporter, piling frame or piling machine; and (b) any work platform or suspended scaffold capable of being raised or lowered by climbers, winches or other powered device; “machinery” includes — (a) any oil engine, gas engine, steam engine, and any other machine in which mechanical movement, either linear or rotated or both, takes place; (b) any steam boiler, gas cylinder, air receiver, steam receiver, steam container or refrigerating plant pressure receiver; (c) any appliance for transmission of power by ropes, belts, chains, driving straps or bands or gearing; and (d) any electrical generator or electrical motor, but does not include any machinery used solely for the propulsion of vehicles; “maintain” means maintain in an efficient state, in efficient working order and in good repair; “mechanical power” means any energy derived from steam, water, wind, electricity, compressed air or gas, or the combustion of fuel or explosive, which is used to drive or work any machinery; “occupational disease” means any disease specified in the Second Schedule and any other disease that is directly attributable to any exposure to any chemical or biological agent arising out of and in the course of any employment; [18/2011 wef 01/09/2011] “occupier”, in relation to any premises or part of any premises, means — (a) in the case of a factory where a certificate of registration has to be obtained in relation to the premises pursuant to any regulations — the person who is, or is required to be, the holder of the certificate; (b) in the case of a factory where a notification has to be submitted in relation to the factory pursuant to any regulations — the person who is named in the notification, or is required to submit a notification; and (c) in the case of any other premises — the person who has charge, management or control of those premises either on his own account or as an agent of another person, whether or not he is also the owner of those premises; [18/2011 wef 01/09/2011] “owner”, in relation to any premises, means — (a) the person for the time being receiving the rents or profits for the lease of the premises, whether on his own account or as agent or trustee for any other person; or (b) the person who would so receive the rents or profits if the premises were leased; “premises” includes any place whether enclosed or built on or not, whether situated underground or underwater and, in particular, includes — (a) any building, vehicle, vessel or aircraft; (b) any structure, whether a fixed structure or a movable structure such as a tent; and (c) a part of any premises, including a part of premises of a kind referred to in paragraph (a) or (b); “pressure vessel” — (a) means any container or vessel used for containing any substance under pressure; and (b) includes any steam boiler, steam receiver, steam container, air receiver, refrigerating plant pressure receiver and gas cylinder; “prime mover” means every engine, motor or other appliance which provides mechanical energy derived from steam, water, wind, electricity, the combustion of fuel or other source of energy; “principal” means a person who, in connection with any trade, business, profession or undertaking carried on by him, engages any other person otherwise than under a contract of service — (a) to supply any labour for gain or reward; or (b) to do any work for gain or reward; “refrigerating plant pressure receiver” means any vessel which contains refrigerant under pressure; “registered medical practitioner” means a person registered or deemed to be registered under the Medical Registration Act (Cap. 174); “regulations” means regulations made under this Act; “repealed Act” means the Factories Act (Cap. 104, 1998 Ed.) repealed by this ...