Providing breathable attire, ice packs to protect outdoor workers from heat mandatory from Dec 1

SINGAPORE – 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 hydrating themselves and that new workers are gradually acclimatised to heat before being sent to work.

Flouting these four new rules may result in penalties such as stop-work orders and fines.

These measures were listed as recommendations under the Manpower Ministry’s (MOM) heat stress framework, which was introduced in late 2023.

The new rules were announced by Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash on Aug 28 during a visit to the construction site of the PSA Supply Chain Hub @ Tuas. They bring the total number of compulsory heat stress measures to 11, up from seven currently.

Minister of State for Manpower Dinesh Vasu Dash inspecting a thermal blanket during a visit to the construction site of the PSA Supply Chain Hub @ Tuas on Aug 28.

ST PHOTO: MARK CHEONG

The announcement comes as Singapore is experiencing rising heat risks and hotter months ahead, due to a rapidly intensifying and warming El Nino climate phenomenon. The highest temperatures in the first half of August exceeded 33 deg C on all but one day.

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 more than a week must also be put on a heat acclimatisation regime. This entails workers gradually increasing their daily heat exposure over at least seven days.

MOM’s framework classifies the measures based on three heat stress levels, which are determined by the wet bulb globe temperature (WBGT). This is a measure of heat stress that factors in temperature, humidity levels, wind speed and solar radiation.

The four new measures apply across all three heat stress levels under MOM’s framework – when the WBGT is under 31 deg C, when the WBGT ranges from 31 deg C to under 33 deg C, and when it is 33 deg C and above.

But other existing measures are differentiated based on heat stress levels. For example, when the WBGT is between 32 deg C and 33 deg C, employers must ensure that workers doing strenuous work are given hourly rest breaks of at least 10 minutes.

During periods of higher heat stress, when the WBGT is 33 deg C and above, employees doing strenuous work are urged to rest for 15 minutes every hour.

Since 2024, it has been mandatory for WBGT meters to be installed at all worksites with a contract sum of at least $5 million, shipyards and for the process manufacturing sector.

In the first half of 2026, MOM found 56 companies flouting heat-safety rules, nearly matching the 62 cases for the whole of 2025.

Common lapses included a failure to monitor the WBGT, and have acclimatisation programmes or emergency response plans in place.

On Aug 28, MOM also introduced a new voluntary measure encouraging employers to provide shaded rest areas that are cooled or well ventilated. These include a sheltered area with fans and an insulated roof with wooden panels.

In end-May, the National Environment Agency warned that El Nino’s temperature impact is the highest when the El Nino event weakens, which could be March to May 2027 – coinciding with the hottest period of the year. The onset of the 2026 El Nino event was around June.

At the tail end of the last super El Nino event in 2016, the average temperature in the March to May period that year was 29.2 deg C, 1 deg C above the long-term average. Singapore also faced its last heatwave in April 2016.

Scientists have been warning that the 2026 El Nino could be the strongest since at least the 1950s.

Soilbuild Construction Group, the firm building the PSA Supply Chain Hub, is also trialling three types of cooling gear with 24 workers: a vest fitted with fans, inner wear dotted with heat-absorbing gel, and an inner shirt by Japanese firm FreezeTech that provides a cooling effect when the material reacts with sweat.

In a previous trial involving the gel-based garments by Eztia Materials, workers’ skin temperatures were reduced by around 3.9 deg C.

Employers have until Nov 30 to implement the four new measures, which have already been “widely adopted” despite being voluntary for now, said MOM on Aug 28.

The enhancements were developed in consultation with the industry, tripartite partners and government agencies, said MOM.

Between 2023 and 2025, there were around six cases each year of diseases caused by higher temperatures and excessive heat, with no reported deaths, said MOM.

Dinesh said: “For employers, these are important measures because it allows our employees to be productive. We have more workers who will be ready and fit to be able to work – therefore less downtime as a result of our workers not being around.”

He added that the authorities are watching the haze situation closely, as hot spots and forest fires rage on in Sumatra and Kalimantan in Indonesia. MOM has haze guidelines and work advisories in place.

“In the event that you have haze and hot weather happening together, we will have to again look out for the safety and health of our workers to make sure that they are able to continue working,” said Dinesh.

Other construction firms ST spoke to said mandating more measures is necessary amid rising heat risks, but pointed out rules that could be tougher to implement. The higher operational costs could be another concern.

Hwa Seng Builder’s project director Lim Eng Boon said having proper shaded rest areas near work zones and installing WBGT meters can pose logistical hurdles.

BHCC Construction’s corporate environmental health and safety manager Calvin Tan said switching to more breathable uniforms might be the hardest to implement across the sector.

“There is high cost involved and the frequency of replacing the uniform is high due to wear and tear with softer, thinner materials,” said Tan.

National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) assistant secretary-general Yeo Wan Ling welcomed the mandated measures, but noted that outdoor platform workers like delivery riders – who do not report to a workplace with cool, shaded rest points – should not be overlooked.

In a Facebook post on Aug 28, she said NTUC and platform work associations are working with operators on solutions, better access to hydration, and suitable cool or shaded rest points while workers are on the road.

“This is something we will continue to push for,” said Yeo.

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