Revised WSH (Registration of Factories) Regulations to effect new Factory Notification Scheme

From 1 November 2008, the new WSH (Registration of Factories) Regulations 2008 will come into operation.

The new Regulations puts into effect a new factory notification scheme announced by Acting Minister for Manpower. The new scheme will replace the Factory Registration system for 66% of factories.
Two main features of the scheme are:

1. To strengthen the management of workplace risksUnder this new scheme, employers will have to declare that they have implemented Risk Management (RM) in the workplaces before they can commence work. This new declaration makes it necessary for employers to be even more actively involved in ensuring the implementation of RM.
2. To streamline the registration process to a free one-time notification effortThe registration process has been streamlined significantly. Instead of registering every one or two years, the notification will be a one-time effort which is easily done online. As a result, there are significant savings in administrative costs, which will be passed on to the industry.

Factory notification will be free of charge. Nearly 14,000 registered factories with lower risk activities will immediately benefit from the changes, with annual savings of $3.5 million.

At the moment, this scheme will not be implemented for higher risk factories. They are construction worksites, shipyards, metalworking companies, wafer fabrication, petrochemical, chemical and pharmaceutical plants. These higher risk factories will continue to be governed by the existing factory registration system while MOM reviews the process. Consultation with these factories on proposed changes will be carried out next year.