Singapore — Is it legal for construction sites to operate every day of the week, including holidays? This query on Facebook has led to calls for patience and understanding as companies are facing a backlog of projects because of the Covid-19 pandemic.
On Tuesday (Nov 10), Facebook user Aurel TheBabone posted the query on the Complaint Singapore page. The query was whether it was legal to have construction work every day, including Sunday and holidays, from around 8 am to 10 pm.
Aurel asked: “Are there some restriction on the time of the day or the days of the week during which construction can be done, please?”
Aurel attached several photos of the construction site concerned and hoped for clarifications on his question. The post has received more that 150 comments from people encouraging Aurel to have a bit more patience on the matter, in case the noise levels were bothering him.
Many said that, due to the Covid-19 pandemic and the circuit breaker period, there was a pause in the construction industry. “They have stopped working for almost half a year,” said Facebook user Jonathan Chan. “Now, they need to clear up their on-hand projects.”
Others focused on the well-being of the workers. “Have pity and sympathy to those workers, they are also tired, but there is something that needs to be done, so they are doing their job as they are told,” commented Facebook user Desy Dey.
A few pointed out that the recent weather conditions, especially rain, did not make things easier for construction sites. Another user, Stephy Lim, said: “They can’t even work. So bear with it. Pity those workers too I believe they are super tired also.”
Meanwhile, Die Fred highlighted the National Environment Agency (NEA) policy on construction noise control. It is permitted to have up to 75 A-weighted decibels (dBA) noise levels for residential buildings located less than 150m from the construction site between 7 am and 7 pm from Monday to Saturday. The limit is lowered to 65 dBA from 7 pm to 10 pm and 55 dBA from 10 pm to 7 am.
According to the NEA advisory: “Beginning Sept 1, 2011, no work is allowed from 10 pm on Saturdays or eves of public holidays to 7 am on the following Mondays or days after public holidays.”
However, since Jan 1, 2017, “construction sites at the architectural/project completion stage are allowed to carry out quieter forms of work (see list of permitted quieter works in ePortal) on specific Sundays and public holidays”, it noted. “Contractors shall submit an application via ePortal to NEA for the permit to carry out quieter works on specific Sunday and public holidays subject to compliance with stringent conditions specified in the application form and any other conditions imposed by NEA.”
/TISG
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