Stop construction work on Sundays

Source : Sunday Times – 12 Jul 2009

For the umpteenth Sunday, I have been woken up by the noise level from the construction site opposite my HDB flat at Tampines Avenue 4, where St Hilda’s Secondary School is undergoing reconstruction.

My questions are:

~ Are construction sites allowed to operate on Sundays under Singapore’s labour laws? With respect to workplace safety and health, should construction workers be allowed to work seven days a week, 12 hours a day? Is this legal and would it contribute to higher accident rates? Recently, on a Saturday, I noted that they operated from 8am to 8pm.

~ As a resident in a heartland area, I want a peaceful Sunday as I need to rest from a hectic work week and enjoy family time.

When I renovated my flat, my contractor told me the HDB does not allow contractors to work on Sundays as the noise would disturb others. My question then is, why are construction sites operating on Sundays? The noise level is much higher compared to one HDB flat undergoing renovation, and more residents are affected by this noise. The lift-upgrading programme workers at Block 908 also worked on Sundays. And why do they also work till 8pm on Saturdays?

I have called the police station in Tampines previously to provide feedback on the noise level and was told that they have given warnings to the nearby construction sites. This obviously did not have any effect as the construction continues even on Sundays.

If it’s illegal, then the construction site at St Hilda’s Secondary should be fined and operations on Sundays stopped. Would the relevant authorities – be it the Manpower Ministry, the HDB or town council – look into this and respond?

Lam Ze Ying (Ms)