Building Control (Use of Buildings Under Construction as Workers’ Quarters) Regulations 2008

No. S 636

Building Control Act

(Chapter 29)

Building Control (Use of Buildings under Construction As Workers’ Quarters) Regulations 2008

In exercise of the powers conferred by section 49 of the Building Control Act, the Minister for National Development hereby makes the following Regulations:

Citation and commencement

1.  These Regulations may be cited as the Building Control (Use of Buildings Under Construction as Workers’ Quarters) Regulations 2008 and shall come into operation on 1st January 2009.

Use of buildings under construction as workers’ quarters

2.—(1)  No builder shall use or permit to be used as workers’ quarters any part of an uncompleted building that he is constructing, except in accordance with these Regulations.

(2)  Any builder who contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Certification for workers’ quarters in buildings under construction

3.—(1)  No part of a building under construction shall be used as workers’ quarters unless the builder has engaged a professional engineer (who may or may not be the qualified person referred to in sections 8(1)(b) and 11(1)(d)(ii) of the Act to supervise the carrying out of the structural works of the building) to —

(a) certify that the floors immediately above and on which the workers’ quarters are to be located, and their supporting columns, have been constructed in accordance with the approved structural plans of the building; and

(b) furnish to the builder the certification referred to in sub-paragraph (a), in such form as the Commissioner of Building Control may require.

(2)  The builder shall —

(a) at all times keep and maintain records of the documents referred to in paragraph (1)(b) at the site of the building works; and

(b) produce such records for inspection when required to do so by the Commissioner of Building Control.

Requirements for rooms for workers’ quarters

4.  No part of a building under construction shall be used as workers’ quarters unless the part of the building under construction in which the workers are housed comply with the following:

(a) every room has a height of not less than 2,400 mm; and

(b) every room is provided with —

(i) windows or openings having an aggregate area of not less than 5% of the floor area of the room; or

(ii) mechanical ventilation.

Limitation as to use of building under construction as workers’ quarters

5.  No part of a building under construction may be used as workers’ quarters except for those workers directly involved in the construction of the building.

Made this 5th day of December 2008.

TAN TEE HOW

Permanent Secretary,
Ministry of National Development,
Singapore.

[Infra/BCA/Legislation/0005; AG/LEG/SL/29/2002/5 Vol. 1]

(To be presented to Parliament under section 52 of the Building Control Act).