Comply ePTW and PTW Regulations in Singapore's Construction

Is Workplace Safety and Health Act important??

In Singapore's construction industry, the safety of workers is the top priority for the government. For this reason, construction safety hazard management and following PTW regulations in Singapore are extremely important. The Singaporean construction regulations are exceptionally strict as well. It matter to them to ensuring a strong foundation for construction site security.

To maintain construction security, the presence of the Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Act is necessary. Among the acts, WSH construction regulations demand construction risk management through strict safety procedures.

The Singaporean Permit-to-Work (PTW) is a necessary qualification. Construction sites must acquire it by following Singapore's construction safety rules before working on a construction project. The PTW in Singapore ensures that high-risk work conditions, such as a construction site, addresses potential safety hazards properly. 

This keeps construction workers safe from potential danger. Other than this, officials like safety instructors make sure the construction team doesn't break the rules and regulations. Regular inspections are also present to check for permit validity from time to time, following by safety management systems. 

The ePTW and Its Related Regulations

In recent years, the Singaporean construction industry has been shifting towards digitizing safety management systems and qualifications.

The PTW is no exception. The process of qualifying for the PTW can take a lot of effort if taken in traditional ways. To address this, the Singaporean government started promoting the electronic Permit-to-Work (ePTW) system. The ePTW serves as a placement of the PTW because of its ability to save time and effort while maintaining workplace safety.

ePTW systems provide work site supervisors and workers a digital checklist for potential dangers and risks present in a work site. The checklist will assist in potential hazard identification and risk assessment. Construction sites will only receive the PTW after eliminating potential risks to workers' safety. By adopting the ePTW, construction companies can streamline their approval processes for permit to work systems without compromising safety.

On a side note, the Singaporean government demands contractors follow the Safety Disqualification (SDQ) Framework. This framework, which applies to PTW Singapore and ePTW Singapore. The degree of restrictions differ depending on project value.

The Singaporean government punishes any contractors for failing to meet the requirements. For projects valuing over $50mil, contractors receive bonuses for maintaining a good WSH performance. A simple but yet effective carrot-and-stick approach.

“Overview of Applicability of Enhancements”

Benefits of Going ePTW

Switching to an electronic PTW system offers numerous benefits for construction companies and the industry as a whole.

Reduces Printing Costs

Digitizing document management means no more papers. Reducing the need for physical copies of documents brings not just a few benefits. Printing costs accumulate to great spending for companies. Construction companies, as Watt states in his blog, “manage an average of 5,000 pages every month,” and about half are “never even looked at.” 

Through digitization, printed documents are no longer necessary. By adopting ePTW Singapore, Companies can allocate budget to causes with more urgency rather than printing papers.

Increased Sustainability

As businesses place more emphasis on sustainability in recent years, the construction industry has to make fundamental improvements. Document management is one aspect with considerable spaces of improvement. By reducing the demand for physical copies, ePTW supports broader environmental goals and helps the construction industry move towards sustainable practices.

Organized Documents

For companies managing multiple projects, the amount of documents archived can reach an unmanageable number. Looking for a specific document from a project from years ago is even more painful.

An ePTW system keeps records of documents in a cloud-based system. This ensures that human errors do not damage or lose documents by accident. As a result, past documents are now easier to access than ever. This is crucial for maintaining compliance with PTW regulation Singapore.

Mitigation of Future Risks

Many ePTW software include an analytic feature for risk analysis. If an unfortunate accident has already happened, the ePTW can still assist in mitigating future risks. The analytic feature analyzes work site conditions from field data. The ePTW then looks for abnormalities in the data to identify potential issues.

A perfect example would be if a certain area has more accidents than others. Under this circumstance, a project managers can identify the work site as having unchecked risks. Enforcing a safety speculation on the area would likely identify those risks for future considerations. Automated risk data assessment is key to prevent future mistakes and minimize risks.

Flaws/Limitations of the ePTW

With all that being said, there is not a perfect system, not even the ePTW.

The first and perhaps the most challenging difficulty to overcome is the ePTW’s steep learning curve. 

Steep Learning Curve

To utilize the ePTW to its fullest potential, one must learn about every aspect and information it provides. Employees have to go as far as receiving safety training courses to understand safety standards. Furthermore, the user must be familiar with the applications of the information. If not, it is like having a database, but not an analytic to reach the conclusion.

Acquiring Qualifications

Attempting to qualify for a permit through the ePTW system is not easy as well.

It takes a tedious amount of steps and workflow to be able to qualify for a permit from the ePTW. From understanding requirements, to sending a request, to communicating with the officials, to tweaking the content. Every step requires professional knowledge and cooperation to complete the task efficiently.

Many different construction management software on the market can help with the process of acquiring a permit. Softwares like PlanGrid and Procore are able to provide assistance. However, each comes with their own disadvantages.

Applying for a permit is difficult to begin with. Softwares like AutoDesk overwhelms with their complex UI. It takes an immense amount of time to get used to the layout, losing its purpose as a construction management software.

On the other hand, Procore may seem like a favorable choice, but not for everyone. In the case of Procore, its costly and non-transparent pricing is a great barrier for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) involved in construction  ePTW.

Ultimately, the management software most suitable for working with ePTW needs to be easy-to-learn and affordable. GoBuid fits these criteria perfectly, being simple and powerful for a reasonable price.

Technical Knowledge

Many different software providers have different versions of the ePTW system for purchase. Some providers’ software may include more function and customization than others. Companies may be inclined to choose these providers for their extra functionality.

However, this further raises the difficulty of managing the system. The ePTW software, especially ones with extra functions, requires professional technical knowledge to configure, set up, and troubleshoot.

Prevents, But Doesn't Predict

Other than the harsh prerequisites of using an ePTW, one of its most fatal flaws lies within its own design. To predict an incident is extremely difficult, even for professional tradespeople. This in turn causes ePTW checklists only containing incidents site workers have experienced or heard of. Therefore, the ePTW can’t effectively prevent accidents or failures before the first time they occur.

This flaw results in the ePTW only providing instructions specific to common circumstances that have taken place before. Unforeseen risks still stand as undetected potential danger, even under the regulation of the ePTW in Singapore.

Cost Efficiency of ePTW

The most obvious limitation of the ePTW system isn’t any of its other design, but its cost. The system can come from different software providers making a profit off licensing, which can cost a fortune.

For companies, ePTW’s price is not the entirety of its cost. Utilizing the ePTW requires construction companies to invest time and effort as well. Ensuring safety practices is a heavy responsibility, after all.

Technicians and employees responsible for managing ePTW need to receive professional training if they haven’t. Some companies may find it difficult to postpone a project to invest manpower into learning ePTW.

Conclusion

The Singaporean government puts safety the first priority for potentially dangerous work conditions, especially construction sites. PTW regulations and the Workplace Safety and Health Act work together to establish an effective safety management system in Singapore. Among numerous permits, the ePTW and PTW serves as an amazing tool for the Singaporean government to mitigate risk and safety procedures to protect workers.

The ePTW system is a powerful and renovative tool. However, it still has its own limitations that keeps it away from being the most viable option for everyone.

The ePTW still has spaces for improvement. In fact, some providers have been experimenting and attempting to integrate Artificial Intelligence to improve risk assessment and hazard identification capabilities with their own ePTW system. The ePTW certainly has infinite potential at improving construction site security in the construction industry as a whole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is the PTW regulation in Singapore?

A: The PTW is a system used to control potential risks that may cause harm or fatalities to Singaporean workers. According to the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM), “It is a means of hazards communication between plant occupier, PTW authority and PTW user.”

Q: What is the job of PTW controller/manager?

A: The job of a PTW controller/manager is to make sure every staff member receives sufficient resources and education to work according to the ePTW. Additionally, the controller/manager also has to communicate any change in the permit to every staff member.

Q: Who signs the permit?

A: As each role has their own assigned responsibilities to protect themselves and those around them, every stakeholder involved in the work should sign the permit: from construction workers to safety supervisors to managers to contractors.

Improving safety protocols goes hand-in-hand with workforce management. Discover strategies to overcome workforce shortages in Work Permit for Migrant Workers in Singapore Construction Sector.