Contractors who violate the rules on not working on Sundays and public holidays at construction sites near residential areas and hospitals will be required to set up cameras at their own cost from 1 October 2022 onwards.
Contractors who violate the rules on not working on Sundays and public holidays at construction sites near residential areas and hospitals will be required to set up cameras at their own cost, reported Channel News Asia (CNA).
This comes as amendments to the Environmental Protection and Management Act were passed on Monday (13 September).
Under the amendments, offenders may be required to install, maintain and operate electronic video surveillance systems, which includes closed-circuit television cameras, at their work sites. The requirements will take effect from 1 October 2022.
Authorities can specify the type of surveillance system needed, the number and location of monitoring devices, including the duration that the surveillance system will be operational.
Recordings will be required to be stored for a specified period, with authorities given access to the recordings, to facilitate remote monitoring and enforcement.
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During the debate, Members of Parliament Yip Hon Weng (PAP-Yio Chu Kang) and Don Wee (PAP-Chua Chu Kang) raised concerns on the new measures’ impact on the construction industry, which has been badly hit by the pandemic.
To this, Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan explained that the requirement will only affect a very small number of construction sites that have breached the no-work rule.
“This is around 150 out of 5,800 construction sites a year, or 3% of all active sites,” he said as quoted by CNA.
Moreover, the cost of installing a video surveillance system comes up to 1% of the total construction project cost on average. He noted that one CCTV set costs around $5,000, while adding that up to four CCTV sets may be required, depending on the project size.
Meanwhile, the amendments to Environmental Protection and Management Act also included measures to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
From October 2022, the National Environment Agency (NEA) will prohibit the supply of air-conditioners using refrigerants with global warming potential (GWP) of over 750, and refrigerators and water-cooled chillers using refrigerants with GWP of over.
This comes as climate-friendly alternatives are already available in the city-state, said NEA.
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Victor Kang, Digital Content Specialist at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this story, email: victorkang@propertyguru.com.sg
