Observe Safety Conditions For Foreign Maids To Clean Exterior Windows

By Tengku Noor Shamsiah Tengku Abdullah SINGAPORE, June 5 (Bernama) -- With immediate effect, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has ruled that employers of foreign domestic workers (FDW) should not allow the workers to clean the exterior of windows, unless strict safety conditions are in place. In a statement here on Monday, the ministry also urged those cleaning exterior windows to apply the same strict safety conditions. According to the statement, MOM was deeply concerned over the recent spate of FDW work-related fatalities. Since January, there have been nine work-related FDW fall from heights fatalities, compared to four cases last year, and eight, the previous year. MOM said its investigations showed that five of the nine fatalities were related to FDWs cleaning windows in an unsafe manner. It noted that the tragic and unnecessary loss of lives could have been prevented if FDWs and FDW employers took safe work practices seriously. From 2007 to last year, 14 employers were found to have endangered the lives of their FDWs. Nine employers were prosecuted and were permanently barred from hiring FDWs. On May 3, this year, an employer was fined the maximum penalty of $5,000 for failing to ensure the safety of her FDW who fell while cleaning windows. The new rules will apply to all homes, except for windows that are at the ground level or along common corridors. MOM will send a circular to all existing FDW employers to notify them of the tightened safety requirements. It will also be updating its training materials for first-time FDWs and FDW employers. Failure to comply with these tightened requirements constitutes a breach of the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations. Employers who fail to comply may be prosecuted and permanently barred from hiring an FDW. For added deterrence, MOM also plans to raise the penalty for employers prosecuted for failing to provide FDWs with a safe working environment. MOM intends to double the penalties from the current $5,000 fine and/or six months’ jail to $10,000 fine and/or 12 months’ jail. This is part of the ongoing review of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and its subsidiary legislation later this year. -- BERNAMA