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
TNS TNS GR