Steps taken to mitigate exposure risks for outdoor workers

We thank Mr Solomon Tan Kia Tang for his letter “Recognise UV exposure as significant workplace hazard” (April 1). The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) agrees that it is important to protect workers performing outdoor work from adverse climate conditions such as heat stress and solar ultraviolet (UV) radiation.

Under the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act, employers are required to conduct risk assessments and implement reasonably practicable measures to ensure the safety and health of their workers. These include assessing environmental risks to outdoor workers, including heat and solar UV exposure, and implementing appropriate control measures.

In MOM’s heat stress framework for outdoor work, employers are required to provide shaded rest areas for workers exposed to heat stress and UV radiation. The WSH Guidelines on Managing Heat Stress in the Workplace also recommend additional protective measures, including rescheduling physically demanding work to cooler or less sunny parts of the day and ensuring workers are equipped with suitable attire, such as long-sleeved clothing in breathable fabric.

In practice, many outdoor workers already adopt such attire to reduce direct sun exposure. Since introducing the heat stress framework, MOM has been conducting checks on outdoor work sites to ensure compliance, and has taken enforcement action against 213 non-compliant employers to date.

MOM will continue to monitor scientific developments and update requirements in consultation with industry stakeholders and tripartite partners, to ensure that workers are adequately protected from both immediate and long-term environmental risks at workplaces.

Jaime Lim

Director

Major Hazards and Occupational Safety and Health Specialist Department