Singapore's enhanced safety measures for higher-risk machinery and combustible dusts take effect on 1 Jan 2025

"The enhanced measures introduced will hold stakeholders accountable along the supply chain and ensure worker safety," Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan said.

The Multi-Agency Workplace Safety and Health Taskforce (MAST) in Singapore has announced new safety regulations for high-risk machinery and combustible dust, set to take effect on 1 January 2025. This initiative aims to enhance workplace safety and health (WSH) standards, especially in the manufacturing sector, where a significant number of machinery-related accidents have occurred.

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM)'s data from 2023 revealed that machinery-related incidents accounted for about 14% of fatal and major injuries, with around 60% occurring in the manufacturing sector. Combustible dust hazards also present additional risks of fire and explosion. To address these risks, MOM is introducing enhancements aimed at improving compliance and accountability throughout the supply chain. These measures are part of recommendations by the Inquiry Committee into the 2021 explosion at Stars Engrg, to enhance the existing regime across the supply chain.

Machinery safety measures

The list of machinery in the WSH Act’s Fifth Schedule will be expanded to include more classes of high-risk machinery. These are namely:

1. Sheet benders and sheet rollers;
2. Lathes and milling machines, and
3. Machines designed for industrial use for any of the following purposes:
   1. cutting, including table saws and slicing machines;
   2. packaging, including palletisers, balers and compactors;
   3. mixing by mechanical movement, including paddle mixers and ribbon mixers, and
   4. handling or processing food, including grinders, mincers, blenders and juicers.

Current obligations outlined in sections 16 and 17 of the WSH Act will also extend to these new machinery categories. Manufacturers and suppliers are required to ensure that machinery is safely designed, tested, and provided with safety information. Similarly, installers and modifiers must ensure safety is not compromised. Buyers have been advised by the ministry to consult inspection companies under the MOM Inspection Programme for Safe Machines if needed.

Combustible dust safety regulations

New labeling and notification requirements will strengthen the existing WSH (General Provisions) Regulations related to explosion risks from combustible dust such as flour or starch. As part of the enhanced measures, suppliers and occupiers must label packages containing 25kg or more with hazard and safety information.

Additionally, occupiers are required to notify MOM and building owners or landlords if they are handling specified combustible dust at or above the threshold quantity, as stipulated in the fourth schedule of the WSH (General Provisions) Regulations.

Commenting on the overall enhanced measures, Minister of State for Trade and Industry Alvin Tan emphasised the need to sustain safety progress in Singapore's manufacturing sector, which includes over 7,000 workplaces. "The enhanced measures introduced will hold stakeholders accountable along the supply chain and ensure worker safety," he highlighted.

At the same time, MAST Chairman and Senior Minister of State for Manpower Zaqy Mohamad said MOM and MAST members will conduct compliance checks, encouraging companies to use resources on the WSH Council’s website to prepare for these requirements.

Read the full enhanced measures here.

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