From Dec 1, 2026, employers must ensure their outdoor workers wear breathable, sweat-wicking uniforms that provide better ventilation, under a new rule to protect employees from hotter days ahead.
Employers must also ensure that ice packs or water sprays are available on site in case of a heat illness scare, and make cool water available at worksites. They must also ensure all outdoor employees are trained to understand the suite of heat stress measures to keep them safe.
Existing measures include ensuring workers are regularly hydrated, and that new workers are gradually acclimatised to heat before being sent to work.
Flouting these four new rules will result in penalties such as stop-work orders and fines.
The new rules were announced by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash on Aug 28.
This brings the total number of compulsory heat stress measures to 11, up from seven currently.
The announcement comes as Singapore is currently experiencing rising heat risks and hotter months ahead, due to a rapidly intensifying and warming El Nino climate phenomenon. The highest temperatures this month is expected to hit 35°C.
Other existing mandatory requirements that employers have to follow include providing employees with a shaded rest area. New workers, and those who have been on leave for at least a week, must also be put under a heat acclimatisation regime.
During periods of higher heat stress, 33°C and above, employees doing strenuous work are urged to rest for 15 minutes every hour. — The Straits Times/ANN
