Two weeks since the circuit breaker ended on 2 June, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) revealed that a total of 52 composition fines have been issued to employers as of Monday evening (15 June).
According to the MOM’s Facebook post, each employer was fined S$1,000 for failing to comply with the Safe Management Measures (SMM) requirements at their workplaces.
Besides that, seven workplaces have been ordered to cease operation due to their failure to comply with the SMM. Six of these operations were reported to have too many employees at the workplace despite them being able to work from home. The other workplace was due to “multiple lapses” in implementing the SMM.
The Ministry stated that it has inspected close to 1,000 workplaces islandwide to ensure that they have implemented proper SMM.
As more business activities are allowed to resume, the Government intends to ensure that community transmission remains low.
Acknowledging that more companies are adopting good practices during the inspections, the MOM reported that many companies have implemented proper SMM to protect their employees.
The companies that were said to implement proper SMM utilised the SafeEntry visitor management system, required employees to wear face masks, implemented flexible work arrangements, staggered work hours, as well as split teams for employees.
Others have also implemented good cleaning and sanitising regimes to ensure common spaces are cleaned regularly, especially in places with high human contact.
Director of Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Department Er. Mohd Ismadi encouraged employers and workers to resume implementing proper SMM at workplaces to keep community transmissions low and “pave the way for a gradual and safe reopening”.
“Employers and workers have consistently stepped up to adopt safer workplace arrangements in accordance to changing situations. We thank employers and workers for working together with us to implement these critical Safe Management Measures to keep our workplaces safe. These concerted efforts have been and will continue to be vital in keeping community transmissions low, and pave the way for a gradual and safe reopening. We must stay disciplined, vigilant and not let our guard down.”
The MOM urged all employers and workers to take the SMM seriously to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
