Construction Practices : In-house Training on Singapore Standards for the Construction Industry A good and safe work practice is the key to minimising accidents and improving productivity at construction worksites. Accidents can be prevented if workers are provided with adequate on-the-job training, refrain from unsafe acts and follow safety procedures and good work practices. The Singapore Productivity and Standards Board (PSB) continually partners with various government agencies and professional associations to develop Singapore Standards for the construction industry. To date, there are about 195 Singapore Standards that are legislated under various Regulation & Acts by government agencies such as the Building and Construction Authority (BCA), Fire Safety Bureau (FSB), Public Utilities Board (PUB)and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). In construction activities, site engineers and contractors are required to comply with construction standards and codes as stipulated in the government's Regulation & Acts. Therefore, it is imperative for construction site personnel to understand these requirements for all construction-related activities. To know more about the Regulation & Acts, one can attend training courses at the Occupational Safety and Health (Training and Promotional) Centre, Construction Industry Training Institute (CITI) and seminars organised by the PSB. Alternatively, construction companies can also organise in-house training and seminars to educate their staff.   SembCorp Engineers and Constructors Pte Ltd, is one example of a construction company in Singapore, who has recently organised an in-house seminar for its employees. SembCorp Engineers and Constructor Pte Ltd (SembCorp E & C) the largest engineering and construction company in the Asia-Pacific region outside Japan and Korea, places great emphasis on site safety and employee training, striving to provide a healthy working environment at the engineering and construction site for its 1200 staff. Certified to OHSAS 18001 and ISO 14001 after 7 years of ISO 9000, the company has since embarked on a training system modelled on the People Developer Standard (PDS) by PSB for essential skills related to construction and has been certified under PDS last December. The objective of the seminar was to provide the company's engineers, supervisors and workers an opportunity to be updated with the current construction practices, awareness of safety awareness at construction worksites and the Singapore Standards legislated under the Factories (SS & CP) Order 2001. 5 Codes of Practice (CP 79, 14, 23, 84 and 74) were covered at the seminar. About 120 of their staff, mostly project managers/engineers and safety personnel attended the half-day seminar. As a National Standards Body (NSB), PSB would like to encourage more construction companies to provide training on Singapore Standards to educate their employees. In year 2000, PSB together with BCA and MOM jointly organised 3 seminars to update the construction industry on the latest construction methodology and to promote the importance of safe work practices at construction worksites. The following Singapore Standards were presented at these seminars: Steel SS 2 : 1999 - Specification for Steel for the reinforcement of Concrete SS 18 : 1999 - Specification for Cold-reduced steel wire for the reinforcement of concrete and the manufacture of welded fabric SS 32 : 1999 - Specification for welded steel fabric for reinforcement of concrete Concrete and Cement SS 26 : 2000 - Specification for Ordinary Portland Cement SS 31 : 1998 - Specification for Aggregates from Natural Sources for Concrete SS 289 : 2000 - Specification for Concrete SS 476 : 2000 - Specification for High Slag Balstfurnace Cements SS 477 : 2000 - Specification for Portland Balstfurnace Cements Structural Engineering Practice CP 65 : 1999 - Code of Practice for Structural Use of Concrete CP 81 : 1999 - Code of Practice for Precast Concrete Slab and Wall Panels CP 82 : 1999 - Code of Practice for Waterproofing of Reinforced Concrete Buildings Construction Practice and Industrial Safety CP 14 : 1996 - Code of Practice for Scaffolds CP 20 : 1999 - Code of Practice for Suspended Scaffolds CP 23 : 2000 - Code of Practice for Formwork CP 74 : 1998 - Selection, use, and maintenance of respiratory protective devices CP 79 : 1999 - Code of Practice for Safety Management System for the Construction Worksites, CP 84 : 2000 - Code of Practice for Entry Into and Safe Working in Confined Spaces The seminars jointly organised by PSB, BCA and MOM served to inform the industry of the latest development of Singapore Standards for the construction industry and various Singapore Standards used by BCA and MOM in their Regulations and Acts. If you wish to find out more about seminars related to the construction industry in year 2001, please visit our website at http://www.standards.org.sg or contact Winston Wong at Tel : 870 1366. By Christopher Ow, PSB and Tan Kai Hong, SembCorp E & C  Next Article to Index

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