Call for employers to provide safe pickup areas for workers

Residents say workers are often made to wait near busy roads for their transport

- Zaihan Mohamed Yusof

Employers should ensure that their workers can wait for and board their company-supplied transport safely.

Worker welfare group Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) said this is on top of making sure workers are transported with care to and from their worksites.

MWC executive director Michael Lim said: "We strongly encourage employers to adopt good practices and take proactive steps to minimise risks, such as providing clear safety guidelines and arranging transport pickup points in safer areas."

The reminder comes in the wake of feedback The Straits Times received from several residents in Upper Bukit Timah Road, Woodlands and Choa Chu Kang, who said workers are often made to wait near busy roads for their transport.

Minibus driver S. Siva said he typically sees between 50 and 70 workers crowding near sharp bends in Woodlands Street 41, where the Singapore American School (SAS) is building an elementary school.

The road has two single lanes, each going in one direction.

Mr Siva, who lives in the area, said the situation is made worse by trucks that park illegally along the road while waiting for workers who end their shift at 7pm.

The 38-year-old said he finds it difficult to spot the workers, who often rush onto the road to get to their transport.

"I know the workers are tired, but if they sit away from the road, it would be safer. All it takes is for one of them to trip, and he will instantly land on the road in the path of vehicles," he said.