About 640 complaints received a month on employers who breached safe management measures in 2021: MOM

SINGAPORE: The Ministry of Manpower received a median number of approximately 640 pieces of feedback a month from January to September 2021 on employers who breach safe management measures (SMMs), a spokesperson told CNA on Wednesday (Oct 6). 

This number remains "stable", except for "short-term spikes" which are typically seen after announcements of tightened restrictions, the ministry added.

"For example, from mid May to mid July 2021, MOM received over 3,500 pieces of feedback, with a significant increase after Phase 2 (Heightened Alert) was announced in May 2021," it said. 

In response to CNA's queries about what employees can do if they observed their employers breaching SMMs, the ministry said they should "reach out to their employers first to clarify any concerns they may have regarding the implementation of SMMs". 

Employees can also report such breaches through MOM's website: www.mom.gov.sg/report-wsh-issues. 

"All reports will be kept strictly confidential," the ministry said. 

"Employers and employees ... should exercise social responsibility and do their part to ensure that SMMs are properly implemented and adhered to at the workplace, in order to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission."

Companies that fail to implement SMMs could face a fine or even be ordered to cease operations for serious breaches, the ministry added. 

In July, the manpower ministry announced that enforcement action had been taken against 66 companies since mid May for failing to comply with COVID-19 measures at workplaces. 

CURRENT WORKPLACE GUIDELINES

Working from home will be the default for employees able to do so as COVID-19 cases continue to rise in Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced on Sep 24. 

The directive, which has been in effect since Sep 27 and will run until Oct 24, marked a tightening of measures. Previously a maximum of 50 per cent of employees who are able to work from home were allowed to be at the workplace at any point in time.

"There should continue to be no cross-deployment of workers to multiple worksites for those who need to go into worksites to work. Social gatherings at the workplace will continue to be disallowed. Employers should continue to implement flexible working hours and stagger the start times of employees who need to return to the workplace," said MOH.