Employers urged to lessen strenuous work outdoors

As PSI hit 'unhealthy' levels.

According to MoM, under the Workplace Safety & Health Act (WSH Act), employers have a duty to protect their employees’ safety and health at work. When PSI levels exceed 100, employees will be exposed to higher levels of safety and health risk due to poor visibility and/or ill effects of haze.

Employers must carry out a proper risk assessment and implement appropriate measures, including specifying when to stop work, so as to ensure that risks identified are minimised or mitigated.

Employees with existing heart or respiratory illnesses are more susceptible to the effects of haze. When PSI levels exceed 100, these susceptible employees must use respiratory protective devices (or respirators) if working outdoors. If they experience breathing difficulty from wearing respirators while working outdoors, employers should deploy them to work indoors. Outdoor work involving strenuous physical activity should be minimized.