All companies in the construction and manufacturing sectors can be given demerit points for breaching the WSH Act and its relevant subsidiary legislation. The number of demerit points awarded depends on the severity of the breaches.
From October 2023, the demerit point system will be expanded from the construction sector to manufacturing sector.
An accumulation of a minimum of 25 demerit points will immediately trigger debarment for the company. Applications from the company for all types of work passes for migrant workers will be rejected by MOM. In addition, the accumulation of more demerit points will result in longer periods of debarment.
Companies that have been issued with demerit points will be informed by MOM in writing. Each demerit point is valid for 18 months.
List of companies with demerit points
How demerit points are issued
The number of demerit points issued to companies will be based on the severity of the offences committed:
| Severity |
Type of incidents |
DPs |
When |
| Potential harm |
Composition fine |
1 |
Date of fine |
| Partial Stop Work Order (SWO) |
5
|
Date of SWO issued |
| Full Stop Work Order (SWO) |
10 |
| Harm |
Prosecution for Dangerous Occurrences or accidents that led to major injuries or death of one person |
25 |
Date of MOM's decision to prosecute |
| Severe harm |
Prosecution for accidents that led to death of more than one person |
50 |
Demerit points for a company are calculated by adding the points accumulated from all the workplaces under the same company.
What penalties will be imposed
Companies which accumulate a number of demerit points within an 18-month period will be debarred from employing migrant workers. The following table indicates the scope and duration of debarment for the accumulated demerit points.
| Phase |
Demerit Points accumulated within 18-month period |
Allowed to hire new workers |
Allowed to renew existing workers |
Duration of debarment |
| 1 |
25 to 49 |
No |
Yes |
3 months |
| 2 |
50 to 74 |
No |
Yes |
6 months |
| 3 |
75 to 99 |
No |
Yes |
1 year |
| 4 |
100 to 124 |
No |
Yes |
2 years |
| 5 |
125 and above
|
No |
No |
2 years |
For clarifications, you can make an enquiry online.