How big should an exclusion zone below work at height be?
Singapore's regulations do not set one general distance. The one fixed figure is in the Construction Regulations: where an opening used to drop debris cannot be enclosed, it must be barricaded so no one comes within 6 m horizontally of it. Otherwise the size comes from the risk assessment, considering the height, wind, what could fall and how it could bounce or deflect. MOM's guidance on work at completed buildings says the area below where objects could fall must be cordoned off.
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?
- 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?
- Does an MCST have duties when contractors work on the façade?
- What rope access rules help prevent falling objects?
- Must a falling-object incident be reported?