Requirements for Workers &

Worksite Operations
Derek Ang
Deputy Director, Audit & Inspection Group
Building & Construction Authority
Total No. of Slides: 15
OUTLINE

• Overview of the Covid-19 Situation in the Industry

• Key Enablers for Prevention & Containment of Covid-19

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 CURRENT COVID-19 SITUATION
• Industry has made great strides in properly implementing SMM at worksites, evident in the low
SMM non-compliance rate
• Increase in local COVID-19 cases and formation of new clusters in Singapore
• Emerging threats of new virus variants
• New cases in workers’ dormitories
• Construction remains a high risk sector with majority of the workers live in densely populated
dormitories
➢ Be extra vigilant and disciplined to adhere to the SMM requirements to minimize the risk of
worksite spread
➢ Continue to keep our worksites COVID-safe and protect our workforce

→ Need to heighten vigilance to maintain the low C+ incidence rate at worksites

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KEY ENABLERS FOR PREVENTION/CONTAINMENT OF COVID-19

PREVENTION CONTAINMENT
Ensuring that C+ infection does not spread beyond
Preventing the occurrence of outbreak
affected work zones
Access Control
Allow only healthy and approved Safety Time Out
K
workers into worksites • Allow worksite to come to safe stop
E
• Contact tracing
Y Effective SMM • Disinfection of premises according
Ensure that all safe-distancing and to NEA guidelines
E segregation measures are practised
N
A Rostered Routine Test
B Early detection to prevent further Review SMM Plan
L spread • Ensure potential gaps in SMM
E
are addressed and tightened for
R Additional Measures for High Risk Areas
safe resumption of works
S Ensure that high risk personnel adopt
good SMM practices at worksites
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PREVENTION VIA ACCESS CONTROL
• All worksites should implement TraceTogether-only SafeEntry to allow effective contact tracing
• Only workers with ‘Green’ AccessCode are allowed entry.
• Only personnel who do not exhibit symptoms of COVID-19 should be allowed on site (temperature should
be taken at entrance)
*download/upgrade the SE (Business) App to the latest version
‘Green’ AccessCode ‘Red’ AccessCode

Do not bypass and allow entry

Deny Entry

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PREVENTION VIA ACCESS CONTROL – INTRODUCTION OF ANTIGEN RAPID TEST

Rostered Routine Testing (RRT)

Antigen Rapid Testing (ART)
• A surveillance tool used in
Construction, Marine and Process
(CMP) sectors to identify cases An additional layer of risk
early, isolate and contain the mitigation measure to reduce
spread of COVID-19, as part of risk of transmission from
Safe Management Measures community into and/or within
CMP worksites, so that workers
• RRT Regime since 18 May 2021 –
revert to RRT frequency of 7 or can continue to work safely
14 days respectively for anyone
entering worksites, regardless of
vaccination status
PILOT ANTIGEN RAPID TESTS AT WORKSITES

Supervised Results
Self-Swab in 15
mins
PILOT ANTIGEN RAPID TESTS AT WORKSITES

For Which worksites? For Who? How? What else?

• Currently we are • Personnel entering • Broadly once every 3 • BCA will

working with construction worksites days1 on top of existing progressively
selected worksites and supply work RRT Regime onboard more
that have been premises • Workers will administer worksites to
identified to be part • Personnel Not residing the ART test kits implement ART as
of the pilot in dormitories (i.e. through self-swabs the supplies are
Singaporeans / under supervision of being ramped up
permanent residents trained personnel to • BCA will share
and migrant workers ensure proper Infection details on ART
residing in HDB and Prevention Controls, requirements and
private residential SMMs, and the correct implementation,
properties) use of the test kits including the
necessary training
and preparation
when ready

1Forworkers not vaccinated: ART at day 3, day 7 and day 11 of the 14-day RRT, cycle or day 3 of the 7-day RRT cycle;
For vaccinated workers: One additional ART within 14-day RRT or 7-day RRT cycle
PILOT ANTIGEN RAPID TESTS AT WORKSITES
Information provided to GUIDE TO SELF-SWAB
onboard developers and Nosebleed in
DO NOT PROCEED
IF:
Nasal surgery in Facial injury in

contractors of pilot worksites: the past 24

hours
the last 4 weeks the last 8
weeks

SWABBING PROCEDURE
1 2 3 4
1) ART testing requirements
Sanitise Remove swab stick Insert the swab stick into the Repeat for the
Hands. from package. nostril (~2.5cm). Twirl the other nostril.
stick 5 times and
leave it in for 5
2.5 cm

2) Step-by-Step ART Self Swab Instruction 5 Insert swab 6 Squeeze 7

seconds.

Close the cap of the 8 Use your finger to

stick into the reagent tube reagent tube firmly. gently tap the bottom

Guide (available in different languages) reagent tube.

Plunge the
swab up and
when extracting
the swab.
You should hear
a “click” sound.
of the tube a few
times. This helps
to mix the
down for 15 solution.
3) Suggested site preparation works and 9
seconds.
Place 3 drops 1 Wait for 15mins before checking
the results on the test cartridge.
15 mins
onto the 0
layout guidelines sample well of
the
cartridge.
test
Please ensure the cartridge is
placed on a flat surface for the
duration.
1 Read the results on the If you see a line appearing 1 Dispose of all used
1 Sanitise

4) Instructions to plan and collect ART kits 1

test cartridge. If you see
a line appearing at both
the “C” and the “T”
at only the “C” position,
this indicates a negative
If you see a line appearing at
test.
2
swab sticks, reagent
tube and test
cartridge into
3
Hands.

position, this indicates a only the “T” position, the test is the biohazard

from supplier positive test. invalid. Please repeat the test on

another test kit, and inform the
staff if you need more test kits.
bag.

5) Supervisory Training requirements POSITIVE NEGATIVE INVALID

6) Instruction to manage Ag+ Individual

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 PREVENTION VIA EFFECTIVE SMM

Check-in using TraceTogether (TT)-only SafeEntry Centralised Data Platform - Thermal scanner
integrated with facial recognition/SafeEntry

SDO
Visitor

Daily Toolbox Meeting to remind on SMM Safe Management of RSC/Visitor Clear Demarcation of work zone
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 SMM BREACHES OBSERVED
• Since Phase 2 Heightened Alert, BCA has conducted checks at over 1,200 worksites
• Enforcement actions taken against more than 65 Builders for flouting SMM
➢ Included two sites which let in workers who were subsequently found to be C+
• BCA will heighten our enforcement stance against builders for non-compliances
➢ Issuance of longer SWO, composition up to $2,000 or prosecution

Workers not wearing mask No safe-distancing during check-in Mixing of workers in lift Red AccessCode worker
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PREVENTION VIA ADDITIONAL MEASURES FOR HIGH RISK AREAS

• Roving Sub-Contractor (RSC) workers, visitors and delivery personnel pose

higher risk as their social contact is amplified by visiting multiple sites RSC

• The following good practices are recommended for RSC workers/Visitors:

✓ Carry out their site visits and tasks outside work hours of main workforce
✓ Unique Visual Identifiers for RSC and visitors
✓ Closer monitoring of RSC workers/visitors by SMO/SDO
✓ Maintain at least 2m from other segregated teams of workers
ROVING
• The following good practices are recommended for delivery personnel:
✓ Stay within vehicle/cabin
✓ Schedule deliveries in a staggered manner and avoid/minimise social
interaction with on-site workforce
✓ Loading/unloading by on-site workers
✓ Ensure cross-border delivery personnel show their coloured wristbands prior to
entry into the worksite
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PREVENTION VIA ADDITIONAL MEASURES BY DEFERRING NON-ESSENTIAL SERVICES

• Builders are encouraged to defer non-essential services (i.e. non-urgent inspections/

servicing) at their worksites, to minimise the number of visitors and risk of spread
of COVID-19 at worksites.
➢ These services should be kept outside the site boundaries from the main
workforce
• Qualified Person (Supervision) can review the site supervision requirements for their
projects and consider deploying remote site supervision for building works, where
suitable.

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CONTAINMENT VIA ISSUANCE OF STO & REVIEWING SMM PLAN

C+ Worker worked on Safety Time Out (STO)

site in the past 14 days will be issued

• Safety Time Out (STO) is issued when a C+ case is detected. Builders are required to:
➢ Submit Builder’s Compliance Report, SMM Plan and Worksite Safety Plan
➢ Disinfect the worksite according to NEA’s guidelines

• STO can be lifted within 3 days if Builder provides a prompt response with adequate
complete, and updated SMM, Worksite Safety Plan

• Worksites should deploy additional SE check-in at zonal levels to facilitate issuance of

partial STO instead of a full STO

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 CONCLUSION
• To remain extra vigilant to keep our construction sector COVID-Safe

• Builders can ensure minimal site disruption and safeguard their workforce by focusing on the
following:
➢ Deny entry of ‘Red’ AccessCode workers/personnel with no RRT
➢ Using TT-only SE
➢ Ensure employees attend their RRT
➢ Adhere to SMM requirements and adopt additional SMM for RSC and delivery personnel
➢ Monitor workers’ health daily and, if unwell, send them to the doctors early

• BCA will heighten our enforcement stance against builders who do not comply with COVID-19
laws

• Encourage all to be vaccinated as it reduces the risk of infection and transmission.

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Thank you
@BCASingapore