Window Cleaning Maid Saved By Neighbours & New Law

They held on for half an hour, the picture shows the three neighbours clinging on to the maid outside an 11th storey window in Woodlands. Starting immediately, foreign domestic workers (FDWs) will no longer be allowed to clean window exteriors, unless two safety conditions are met, announced the Ministry of Manpower today.

Maid saved by trio after fall from 12th storey: A morning drama played out in Woodlands on Sunday as three men reached out of an 11th-storey window to hold onto an Indonesian maid who was hanging to a steel laundry rack for dear life. They tried to hoist her into the flat, but found her too heavy. The maid soon passed out - and thus became a dead weight for the trio, who held onto her for nearly half an hour until help came. The maid, who works for a family on the 12th storey of Block 550, Woodlands Drive 44, fell from the five-room flat at 10am.

Employers will not be allowed to let their maid clean the exterior of windows unless supervised, under new Manpower Ministry (MOM) requirements.

Maids not allowed to clean exterior of windows unless supervised, Singapore: The Manpower Ministry (MOM) has ruled that with immediate effect, employers shall not allow their foreign domestic workers to clean the exterior of windows unless two safety conditions are met. Firstly, the employer or an adult is physically present to supervise the maid. And, secondly, window grilles must be installed and locked at all times during the cleaning process. MOM said the new rules will apply to all homes, except for windows that are at ground level or along common corridors. It emphasised that anyone who cleans the exterior of their windows at home should follow similar safety requirements.

The ministry explained that many foreign domestic workers do not come from high-rise environments and may not be used to Singapore's urban living environment. They are therefore likely to be unaware of the risks in a high-rise domestic setting. Apart from window cleaning, employers should take necessary steps to eliminate the risks involved in other tasks by following the Dos and Don'ts covered in MOM's guidebooks and pamphlets. If foreign domestic workers are required to hang laundry outside the window using bamboo poles, employers should ensure that they do not stand on an elevated platform or tip-toe while handling the poles, and do not overload the pole with too many clothes.

In announcing the change, the Manpower Ministry noted that a significant proportion of fatalities involving maids falling from heights came about because they were cleaning the window exteriors.

MOM said it will be sending a circular to all existing foreign maid employers to inform them of the tightened safety requirements. The ministry will also be updating its training materials for first-time maids and their employers. MOM warned that failure to comply with these tightened requirements constitutes a breach of the Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations. Employers who fail to comply may be prosecuted and permanently barred from hiring a foreign domestic worker. For added deterrence, MOM also plans to raise the penalty for employers prosecuted for failing to provide foreign domestic workers with a safe working environment.

MOM said it intends to double the penalties from the current S$5,000 fine and/or six months' jail to S$10,000 fine and/or 12 months' jail. This is part of the ongoing review of the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act and its subsidiary legislation later this year, said MOM. The ministry said it is deeply concerned with the recent spate of fatalities involving foreign domestic workers.

Since January this year, there have been nine work-related fall from heights fatalities, compared to four cases for the whole of 2011 and eight in 2010.  The ministry's investigations show that five of the nine fatalities were related to foreign donestic workers cleaning windows in an unsafe manner.  Two arose from hanging laundry, while the causes of the last two are pending further investigation. The ministry said this tragic and unnecessary loss of lives could have been prevented if foreign domestic workers and their employers took safe work practices seriously. 

Previous stories on these deaths here.