Regulatory changes to how migrant workers are transported would cause “more acute pain”, says SMS Amy Khor

The issue of safer migrant worker transportation is one with “multi-faceted considerations and wider ramifications”, said Senior Minister of State (SMS) for Transport Dr Amy Khor in Parliament on Monday (10 April).

She was responding to several questions by various parliamentarians following the recent slew of accidents involving lorries that transport migrant workers to and from their dormitories and work sites.

Dr Khor: “Regulatory changes at this time will cause even more acute pain to the industry”

Dr Khor said, “We will continue to review the safety rules, engaging the various stakeholders along the way, to see how to enhance these measures further.”

Dr Khor then went on to say that making regulatory changes at this time, compared to 10 years ago, would “cause even more acute pain to the industry”, noting that the industry is already severely affected by COVID-19 which has caused manpower shortages, delays in projects, and reduced productivity.

She said “Further regulations will likely have impact on the completion of various building projects, from BTOs to MRTs to nursing homes and hospitals, spell the demise of some companies and the loss of workers’ livelihoods. We cannot simply ignore these considerations.”

She also urged employers to do their part in ensuring the welfare and safety of their staff.

Last month, there were two accidents involving lorries transporting workers. The first was a lorry carrying 17 workers which collided with a stationary truck along the Pan-Island Expressway (PIE), resulting in two deaths. The second, just a few days later, involved a lorry carrying nine workers. Fortunately, there were no fatalities in the second incident.

The lorry driver in the first incident has been arrested for careless driving causing death.

In a third incident just three days ago, a police van collided with a lorry ferrying 11 workers. A total of 17 people, including five police officers, suffered minor injuries.

In her response in Parliament, Dr Khor said that the accidents are being investigated by the traffic police and that those responsible will be dealt with based on the laws of the country.

On the questions of the use of lorries for transporting workers, Dr Khor highlighted, “From a road safety perspective, it would be ideal for lorries not to carry any passengers in their rear decks. But there are very significant practical and operational issues – on top of just cost considerations – which is probably why internationally, it is not an uncommon practice.”

Recommendations and enhancements have been made over the years, says SMS

Stressing that the government takes the issue of worker safety and well-being seriously, Dr Khor referenced the 2008 Workgroup co-chaired by the Ministry of Manpower and the Land Transport Authority which reviewed the safety of workers being transported on lorries.

She noted that strong feedback from industry associations indicated that switching to dedicated bus transport for workers would “lead to significantly higher business costs.”

“Other practical challenges were also highlighted. For instance, while lorries can have dual use for transporting workers and equipment, buses cannot, and this will result in significant productivity loss,” she added.

Dr Khor then noted that recommendations from the Workgroup based on various feedback led to the implementation of enhanced safety measures for ferrying workers using lorries in 2009 and 2010.

These included higher protective side railings and canopy covers, and higher penalties for non-compliance – up to five times more.

Over the years, more enhancements were made.

“For example, since 2015, all S-Pass and Work Permit Holders are required to pass the necessary theory and practical driving tests before they can obtain a Singapore Class 3 licence that will allow them to drive light goods vehicles, including those which transport workers in the rear decks,” said Dr Khor.

On the question of how many such accidents have occurred over the recent years—raised by MPs Alex Yam and Janet Ang—it was highlighted that the injury rate of persons on-board lorries is 8.1 per 1,000 lorries, compared to 8.4 in all motor vehicles.

She also noted that the numbers were lower in 2020 due to COVID-19 restrictions, as just 4.5 per 1,000 lorries compared to 5.6 in all moto vehicles.

As for deaths specifically, Dr Khor noted that the number of fatalities of persons on board lorries involved in road accidents has been on a “downward trend”, dropping 2.5 per year from 2016 to 2019.

The SMS concluded, “The Government will continue to refine our policies and regulations to further minimise such situations involving our workers.”

In a follow up questions, Mr Yam had asked the authorities would consider other safeguards such as imposing speed limits on lorries until new solutions could be found.

He also asked if owners and operators could be required to tie down equipment that is being transported at the back of lorries with passengers, noting that it is often these free-flying objects in an accident that causes significant injuries.

In response to the proposal on speed limits, Dr Khor noted that limits already exist at a maximum of 60 km/hour or the posted vehicle speed for the area, whichever is low.

She added, “This is already well below the speed limit of 90 km/h on the expressway.  So further reducing this speed is actually not recommended by the experts, because when you increase the speed differential between the lorries and all the other motor vehicles on the expressway, it can lead to other safety issues.”

As for tying down equipment, Dr Khor said that it is already a requirement for goods to be tied down.

Cost will be looked into as part of a review

Next, Worker’s Party (WP) MP Ms He Ting Ru asked about specifics on the costs that would be incurred in increasing safety measures.

She noted that every time this topic is raised, the counter-argument given is that there will be increased costs. She added, “We need to actually understand how much cost should be increased by before we can actually have a meaningful conversation about whether or not they’ll need to be further safety measures put in place.”

Dr Khor responded by stressing that this goes beyond just cost as there are “significant, real practical and operational challenges” as well.

She continued, “But having said that, if we were to estimate the additional costs as a result of prohibiting transport of workers in lorries and goods vehicles, then we’ll need to have an understanding of the options that the industry will pivot to whether it’s buses, minivans good scam, passenger vehicles or even other options, and we will need to really undertake a detailed study and consultation with the industry.”

“So it is something that we can consider as part of the review,” she assured.

On the matter of projects being delayed, MP Mr Murali noted the public concern that construction projects are being hurried to catch up with lost time due to the pandemic.

He asked in a follow question what could be done in partnership with the Ministry of Manpower to emphasise safety with construction companies and drivers.

To this, the SMS said tripartite partners with the MOM conduct regular safety talks are conducted for drivers on road safety awareness and to encourage them to adopt safe driving habits.

They also reach out to companies to comply with such safety rules and requirements, she added.