SINGAPORE – Starting January 1, 2025, businesses must follow new rules to ensure safer use of high-risk machinery and combustible dust.

Following the 2021 Tuas explosion that killed three workers, suppliers and manufacturers dealing with combustible dust must label associated packages or containers to communicate their hazards and how to use them safely, the Ministry of Health said. the Manpower (MOM) on November 29.

The accident was linked to the explosion of a mixer that exploded in a workshop on the first floor of a building on Tuas Avenue, injuring seven other employees of Stars Engrg, a company that manufactures flame-retardant packaging.

Manufacturers must also notify the Department and owners if they handle combustible dusts specified at or above a level. the threshold quantity set by regulation.

For example, a company handling plastic combustible dust weighing 100 kg and above must notify MOM at least one month before starting its use at the facility.

Another enhanced safety measure announced on November 29 is the expansion of the list of higher risk machines, which now includes industrial use of mixing, cutting and packaging machines.

Others in the updated list: sheet benders and sheet rollers, lathes and milling machines, and food processors.

Existing obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act that relate to manufacturers, suppliers, installers and modifiers of these additional classes of higher risk machinery will apply.

It is mandatory for manufacturers and suppliers to ensure that the machines used are designed, examined and tested to be safe, the ministry said. Information should be provided on how to use them safely.

Additionally, it is the responsibility of installers and modifiers to ensure that any installation or modification to machines does not compromise their safety.

The new rules will provide buyers of machinery with greater assurance that they meet the required safety standards. For additional assistance, buyers can contact one of the five inspection companies listed under MOM’s Safe Machinery Inspection Program.

Combustible dust and industrial machinery can pose significant risks to workers, as the 2021 incident showed, said Mr Zaqy Mohamad, Chair of the Multi-Agency Task Force on Occupational Safety and Health (Mast) and Minister of State for Manpower.

“We will carry out checks to ensure compliance with these measures. Businesses can better prepare for the new requirements by leveraging the resources available on the WSH Council website,” he said.

Failure to comply with a stop work order will result in fines of up to $500,000 and an additional fine of $20,000 for each day of continued violation, and up to 12 months’ imprisonment.

According to the MOM, machinery-related incidents accounted for around 14 percent of fatal and serious injuries in 2023, with around 60 percent of cases in the manufacturing sector.