On February 1, 2011, new rules came into effect for lorries transporting workers. There were also increased penalties.
In the eight months following (Feb to Sep 2011), the number of employers caught flouting safety rules was 1,329, said Minister of State for Transport Josephine Teo, in a statement to Parliament, this week. This is 49 per cent lower than the 2,601 caught in the eight months prior to February 1, 2011.
These figures were reported by the Straits Times on January 19, 2012.
As for the number of workers hurt in accidents, there were five fatalities and 199 injuries in the eight months prior, compared to no fatalities and 83 injuries in the eight months after.
On a separate note,
Mr Yam and MP Lee Bee Wah (Nee Soon GRC) also asked if there were rules against employers ferrying workers to MRT stations or bus interchanges so they could then take public transport to work, and if this was adding to the already heavy load on public transport.
Mrs Teo replied that there were no restrictions against employers providing such transport.
‘The very nature of public transport must mean that the public can use it. Whoever you are, working in Singapore, living in Singapore, whether you are a tourist, you can use public transport,’ she said.
However, she added that the ministry did not encourage employers to overextend the use of public transport for foreign workers travelling between workplaces, and was open to working with businesses and MPs who had specific problems with this issue.
— Straits Times, January 19, 2012: Lorry safety offences fall 49% with stiffer penalties, by Maria Almenoar