Oral Answer by Senior Minister of State for Manpower Mr Zaqy Mohamad, to PQ on the Next Review of Safe Management Measures at the Workplace

NOTICE PAPER NO. 286 OF 2021 FOR THE SITTING ON 1 MARCH 2021

QUESTION NO. 769 FOR ORAL ANSWER

MP: Mr Seah Kian Peng

To ask the Minister for Manpower when will the next review of safe management measures at the workplace be conducted and what will be the considerations in such a review.

Answer:

1. In January, Safe Management Measures in the general community setting were tightened. This was due to a rise in the number of community cases then, and in view of the anticipated increase in social activities during the Chinese New Year period. The tripartite partners decided to defer any updates to the Safe Management Measures for the workplace. The Multi-Ministry Task Force will monitor the COVID-19 situation for a few weeks after the Chinese New Year period to assess when public health measures, including Safe Management Measures for the workplace, can be adjusted.

2. Adjustments to Safe Management Measures for the workplace will consider the public health risk, level of community cases, as well as employee and business interests. As we have seen from the resurgence of infections in some countries in the region, we must remain vigilant in our approach to managing the transmission risks.

3. For now, work-from-home remains the default working arrangement. Employers must ensure that no more than 50% of employees who are able to work from home are at the workplace at any point in time, and that these employees work from home for at least half their working time.