Does an MCST have duties when contractors work on the façade?
Yes. When contractors work on common property, the MCST is likely to be the occupier of that workplace and is often the principal that engaged the contractor. As occupier it must keep the premises safe for everyone within them. As principal it must take reasonably practicable steps to check the contractor's competence. MOM has specifically told building owners, Town Councils and MCSTs to hire competent contractors and to barricade the work zone and affected areas, including below the work area.
From the RRD Field Guide, checked against the sources cited in Preventing Falling Objects in Singapore: Worksites, Façades and Rope Access. General information, not advice for your project.
The fuller picture
In Singapore, preventing falling objects is a legal duty shared by the occupier, the employer and the principal. On worksites the occupier must provide adequate overhead protection, scaffolds need toe-boards of at least 90 mm and overlay nets, and debris must go down chutes, not over the edge. Breaches carry fines of up to S$50,000 and two years' jail. Owners must also keep exterior features securely fixed.
More questions on this topic
- Do the Work at Heights Regulations require toe-boards?
- Is tool tethering mandatory in Singapore?
- How big should an exclusion zone below work at height be?
- Who is liable if something falls from a building onto a passer-by?
- What are the latest MOM statistics on struck-by-falling-objects injuries?
- What rope access rules help prevent falling objects?
- Must a falling-object incident be reported?