MOM tells employers to plan haze protections now, as a quarter of inspected worksites fall short
· Keith Kwai
At a press conference on 16 October, Acting Manpower Minister Jasmin Lau said protecting workers from the haze is a legal duty and employers should prepare now for worse air, including avoiding prolonged outdoor work when the PSI forecast tops 200 and deferring non-essential outdoor work above 300. MOM has inspected more than 400 worksites since September and found about a quarter falling short. She asked employers to properly consider work-from-home requests, to let staff use leave, draw on next year’s leave or take paid time off where remote work isn’t possible, and said platform operators should not penalise delivery and ride-hail workers for haze-related delays.
For the legal duty behind this, WorkRightSG, a sister site, sets out what the WSH Act requires employers to do about workplace risks.
If you are asked to use or advance leave during a bad haze spell, WorkRightSG also explains how annual leave entitlements work in Singapore.
Source: The Straits Times, 16 Oct 2026 — Read the original