Companies putting workers' health first

Olivia Ho, Joanna Seow, Priscilla Goy, Straits Times AsiaOne 18 Sep 15;

Environmental control officer Ganesh Kumar, who works at a Braddell Road construction site, checks the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) level on the National Environment Agency website every hour and alerts supervisors if it goes above 200.

The haze may appear to have eased, but companies are putting workers' health first, even at the risk of failing to fulfil contracts.

Bosses of construction, cleaning and landscaping companies told The Straits Times yesterday that they hope customers will understand and bear with reduced services if the air quality worsens.

"Cleaners can continue to do the important tasks like clearing rubbish bins, but clearing fallen leaves can be left for another day," said Mr Sunny Khoo, sales director of Clean Solutions. His firm provides cleaning services at public and private housing estates.

He said: "We hope clients and residents won't complain if they see more rubbish around than usual."

Mr Woon Chiap Chan, country managing director of ISS Facilities Services, which employs about 250 workers to do outdoor landscaping, cleaning and pest control, said customers have been understanding so far when told that workers may have to avoid non-critical work, such as sweeping outdoor compounds, for a couple of days.

"But if it's prolonged - for one or two weeks - then it will be a headache as we may be penalised," he said.

At 5pm yesterday, the 24-hour Pollutant Standards Index (PSI) was at 98-118, between the high end of the moderate range and the low end of the unhealthy one.

Many firms have put in place measures to protect staff who work outdoors.

At a Braddell Road construction site, environmental control officer Ganesh Kumar checks the National Environment Agency's website every hour for the PSI levels.

If the PSI goes above 200, he alerts supervisors across the site.

Said Mr Ganesh, 25: "We brief workers about the haze at two meetings every day, and also monitor those with breathing problems, and arrange for them to do work in the storerooms or office."

CHL Construction safety officer Richard Teo said that he updates site supervisors every hour and would suspend non-essential outdoor activities if the three-hour PSI goes past 200.

At Lum Chang Building Contractors, older workers and those with asthma have been redeployed to work indoors where possible, while at BD Cranetech, workers have been encouraged to have lunch in air-conditioned places and not to stay outdoors for more than 10 hours.

Workers at sites The Straits Times visited yesterday were not wearing masks, although they said they had been supplied with them. Most did not think the haze was bad enough to warrant wearing the masks.

Mr Syed Amrul, 27, a supervisor at a site in Toa Payoh, said he was too busy to get his mask, which he left in the storeroom. He said the haze gave him a headache on Monday, but that he has since felt better.

He said: "I took some medicine, but I didn't see the doctor because I thought it was a small matter."

Another supervisor in Toa Payoh, Mr Chew Hock Hwee, 54, said his team of men did not want to wear masks as they were tarring the road. He said in Mandarin: "It is very hot work, so the masks are uncomfortable. Of course, if the PSI goes over 200, we must let them rest."

60 senior centres to get improved masks
Samantha Boh, The Straits Times AsiaOne 18 Sep 15;

A new range of anti-haze masks will be distributed for free to 60 senior activity centres across Singapore by this weekend, in an effort to provide protection from the haze without causing discomfort.

Makers of the AIR+ Smart Mask claim it has better ventilation and fits better than the standard N95 mask. It comes in three sizes, has an internal valve for air flow and keeps the temperature around 4 deg C lower than the N95.

The mask was invented and developed over a year by a Singapore-based core team of four engineers from ST Engineering subsidiary Innosparks. It was approached in 2013 by Temasek Cares - the non-profit, philanthropic arm of Temasek Holdings - to develop an improved anti-haze mask.

The team found that N95 masks do not fit everyone, which can result in air leaking into the mask, putting the wearer at risk of inhaling pollutants.

The discomfort due to heat trapped within the mask can also deter people from wearing it.

"We wanted to fill the gap," said Mr Gareth Tang, general manager of Innosparks, who led the effort. "We wanted to develop something for the children, the elderly and the front-line workers."

The team carried out 3D facial scans of more than 800 individuals, including students, to come up with the right fit for Asian faces.

A micro-ventilator was also developed to improve air flow and reduce the temperature within the mask when it is attached to the front of it. It also reduces the level of accumulated carbon dioxide from up to 5 per cent in a standard mask to 1.5 per cent. Increased carbon dioxide build-up can cause headaches and shortness of breath.

About 29,000 AIR+ Smart Masks and 6,000 micro-ventilators will be distributed to the 60 senior activity centres. The $300,000 initiative is being led by Temasek Cares and ST Engineering, and was launched by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Wednesday.

The masks cost $7.20 for a box of three and $29.90 for a rechargeable micro-ventilator. While currently sold exclusively at Watsons pharmacies, they will be made available at all Guardian and Unity outlets from tomorrow until the current haze episode is over.


Impact of bad air on economy 'difficult to quantify'
Marissa Lee, Straits Times AsiaOne 17 Sep 15;

The haze has affected some outdoor leisure venues but the already weak tourism sector, coupled with the bleak global outlook, mean the direct cost to the economy of the bad air will be hard to measure.

Inbound tourist numbers have been trending down since 2013 for many reasons so the "incremental impact" of visitors opting to go elsewhere just to avoid the haze will be hard to ascertain, said UOB economist Francis Tan.

Other costs may only become apparent further down the road.

The haze cloud was slow to reach Singapore this year, wrongfooting those who had expected the skies to go dark in July or last month, like in previous years.

"They're caught by surprise this time, but if people learn from this episode, and if the haze prolongs to the end of this month, both tourists and Singaporeans could start planning (to get) away from Singapore for the whole July to September period (next year)," said Nanyang Technological University economist Euston Quah.

A prolonged haze spell is likely. The south-west monsoon, which has been carrying smoke from the burning peatlands in Sumatra to Singapore, is expected to last until late next month, the National Environment Agency said on Tuesday.

Even so, experts are not worried that the annual haze may taint Singapore's reputation as a "clean and green" destination. "They know it's not our fault, that this is a transboundary issue and not due to Singapore being less efficient," said Professor Quah, noting Singapore has also taken active steps to manage the problem over the years.

It is also fortunate that the forecast is for haze conditions to lighten up this weekend, just as the country plays host to the Formula One Grand Prix and Singapore Summit economic forum.

Experts agree that this year's haze - which has been around for two weeks - will have very little impact on the economy, unless conditions deteriorate. "A lot of the industries are haze-immune," said Mr Tan, noting that most of the workforce operates indoors.

But with many already complaining of raspy throats and itching eyes, Prof Quah warned that a prolonged haze would be a blow to output. "It affects our mood and definitely affects productivity," he said.