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30-minute rest for workers who double up as drivers, buddy system among moves to improve safety on lorries

SINGAPORE  — From January, onsite workers who also double as drivers will be given a mandatory rest period of at least half an hour before they are allowed to transport other workers in the rear deck of lorries. 

A lorry fitted with the rain cover that will be mandated from January 2023.

A lorry fitted with the rain cover that will be mandated from January 2023.

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  • Onsite workers who also double as drivers must be allowed to rest for at least half an hour before they are allowed to transport other workers in the rear deck of lorries
  • These drivers will also be assigned a buddy to ensure that they are alert and fit to drive, the authorities said on Wednesday (Oct 19)
  • Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said that the Government is also continuously studying the need for other measures

SINGAPORE  — From January, onsite workers who also double as drivers will be given a mandatory rest period of at least half an hour before they are allowed to transport other workers in the rear deck of lorries. 

Also from next year, companies will be required to fit rain covers on lorries that are used to ferry workers, though they can do this in phases.

These were among the details of safety measures announced by the Land Transport Authority, Ministry of Manpower and Traffic Police on Wednesday (Oct 19).

In March, the Government had outlined broad moves that it wanted to implement to improve the safety and welfare of workers being transported on the back of lorries. The discussion about the issue had been sparked by a few road accidents involving lorries transporting workers.

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday after a visit to an engineering company in Kranji, Senior Minister of State for Transport Amy Khor said that the details of these safety measures were agreed on after extensive consultation with various stakeholders including industry players, non-governmental organisations and safety experts.

She noted that the issue of transporting workers safely is multifaceted and involves "a lot of operational complexities".

"We've had to actually consult them on these issues to see what are the measures that are practical and effective and can be readily and widely implemented on the ground," she said.

Dr Khor also added that authorities will monitor the impact of the announced measures and look into broader measures in the future.

MANDATORY REST AND BUDDY SYSTEM

From January, employers are required to provide a rest period of at least 30 minutes to workers designated to drive their colleagues, who will be seated in the rear deck of lorries, if they had also been working on site for at least six hours.

This is to ensure the alertness and well-being of these drivers.

MOM will also require employers to designate a vehicle buddy for all lorries that are transporting workers in the rear decks, and adequately brief this buddy on his or her role.

"The role of the vehicle buddy is to check that the driver is fit to drive and ensure that the driver is alert when driving," said Dr Khor.

An advisory covering various aspects of safely transporting workers will be issued before the measures are rolled out next Jan 1, the authorities said.

TRANSPARENT RAIN COVER

All lorries which are used to transport workers will be required to be fitted with rain covers.

At least one side has to be fitted with a transparent cover, to provide a sufficiently lit environment for passengers onboard.

LTA said that it recognises lead time will be required to implement these changes, and thus will be rolling them out in phases. 

The covers will be fitted on all newly registered lorries by Jan 1.

Existing light lorries, with maximum laden weight not exceeding 3,500kg, will be required to retrofit the covers by July 2023.

Heavier lorries with maximum laden weight exceeding 3,400kg will be subject to the same requirement by Jan 2024.

Dr Khor said this implementation timeline will ensure that workshops have sufficient capacity and supply of such covers to install them on the lorries. 

She added that the authorities are still working closely with various stakeholders to study details on a plan to mandate speed limiters for lorries with maximum laden weight above 3,500kg to improve road safety and driving behaviour.

"I think they are also looking at (areas such as) the supply of speed limiters, effectiveness of the different speed limiters, as well as the number of workshops who are authorised to install the speed limiter, (while) at the same time they are also working on the timeline for implementation of this," she added.

Currently, speed limiters are installed for all goods vehicles with maximum laden weight exceeding 12,000kg.

FEASIBILITY OF SEATBELTS, BUSES

Responding to questions by reporters, Dr Khor said that the authorities are continuously studying the necessity and feasibility of further measures to enhance safety when transporting workers.

One such measure which has been studied and on which the Government consulted major vehicle dealers and workshops is the installation of seatbelts on lorries, which turns out to be impractical, she said.

"The industry has highlighted that retrofitting the rear deck to install seatbelts may actually affect the structural integrity and stability of these lorries and actually pose danger or risk to the safety of the drivers and passengers when they are on the road,” said Dr Khor, adding that this was largely in line with findings from a study undertaken in 2008 by MOM and LTA.

Making such structural changes may also give rise to warranty and liability issues, she added.

Another suggestion that was raised in Parliament earlier this year to enhance worker safety was to use buses to transport workers instead of lorries.

Dr Khor said more companies are doing this where possible, but that there remains a supply shortage of buses, which means wider implementation is not feasible.

"Having said that, we will continue to look at this and we will continue to encourage companies to use alternative forms of transport, including buses, as much as possible,” she said.

Related topics

workplace safety Migrant Workers accident traffic accident Ministry of Manpower lorry transport

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