Fire Safety Manager (FSM)

Building Requiring A Fire Safety Manager

All Commercial or Industrial Buildings which satisfy at least one of the following conditions, are required to appoint a fire safety manager:

a. Public Building (inclusive of Commercial Building)

• is of 9 storeys or more (including any basement) in height;
• is used, constructed or adapted to be used as a hospital;
• has a floor area of 5000 square metres or more; or
• has an occupant load of 1000 persons or more

b. Industrial Building

• has a floor area or site area of 5000 square metres or more; or
• has an occupant load of 1,000 persons or more

Duties Of Fire Safety Manager

The main duties of a Fire Safety Manager (FSM) are:

• ensure at all times that fire safety requirements contained in the Fire Emergency Plan are complied with;
• supervise the maintenance of all fire safety works in the premises;
• ensure at all times that the occupant load of any part of any building does not exceed the capacity prescribed under the Fire Code;
• conduct daily checks within the premises and remove or cause to be removed any fire hazard that is found within the premises;
• prepare a Fire Emergency Plan for the premises and conduct 2 fire drills for the occupants therein annually or on such occasion as may be directed by the Commissioner;
• ensure that all occupants are familiar with the means of escape located within the premises;
• prepare fire safety guidebooks for the occupants of the premises;
• train the occupants in the premises in first aid, fire fighting and evacuation in the event of fire;
• co-ordinate and supervise the occupants within the premises in fire fighting and in evacuation in the event of fire or other emergencies;
• supervise the operation of the Fire Command Centre in the event of fire or other emergencies;
• conduct at least 2 Fire Evacuation Drills and Table-Top Exercises within the premises each year and to evaluate, together with the Fire Safety Committee, the effectiveness of the Arson Prevention Plan and the Fire Emergency Plan for those premises;
• prepare and implement the Arson Prevention Plan for the premises;
• notify the Commissioner immediately upon the occurrence of any fire incident in the premises;
• organise campaigns, training courses, competitions, contests and other activities which will develop and maintain the interest of the occupants within the premises in establishing a fire safe environment; and
• carry out such other duties as the Commissioner may require.

Qualifications of Fire Safety Manager

Fire Safety Managers are required to attend the courses conducted by SCDF at the Civil Defence Academy. Any person who wishes to become a Fire Safety Manager should possess any of the following qualifications:

Ngee Ann Polytechnic

a. Certificate in Fire Safety Manager Course (Commercial)

b. Certificate in Fire Safety Manager Course (Industrial)

c. Certificate in Fire Safety Manager Course (17th Batch onwards)

d. Certificate in Fire Engineering Course

e. Advanced Diploma in Fire & Safety Management

f. Diploma in Building Services Engineering in & after 1991 - For Commercial Buildings & Industrial Buildings.

g. Advanced Diploma in Safety, Health & Environmental Management – Year 2001 Onwards

h. Diploma in Building & Real Estate Management – Year 2001 Onwards

i. Diploma in Building & Real Estate Management

j. Diploma in Facilities Management for Business

k. Diploma in Technology (Building Services & Fire Safety)

l. Diploma in Engineering (Building Services & Fire Safety) - Starting April 2012

Temasek Polytechnic

l. Diploma in Security and Fire Safety Management

Civil Defence Academy

m. Certificate in Fire Safety Manager Course

n. Certificate in Fire Safety Manager Course (Conversion Course) – Commercial to Industrial

o. Certificate in Fire Safety Manager Course (Conversion Course) – Industrial to Commercial

Workplace safety and health co-ordinator

(As described in WSH (Construction) Regulations)
(1) For the purposes of section 28 (1) of the WSH Act, a workplace safety and health co-ordinator (WSHC) shall be appointed in respect of every worksite where the contract sum of the building operation or works of engineering construction carried out therein is less than $10 million.
(2) Workplace safety and health co-ordinator (WSHC) shall be appointed by the occupier of worksite. (3) The occupier of the worksite shall not appoint any person as a WSHC unless the person is one —
(a) who has successfully completed a training course to equip him to be a workplace safety and health co-ordinator;
(b) whom the occupier reasonably believes is competent to perform the functions and duties of a workplace safety and health co-ordinator; and
(c) whom the occupier reasonably believes has at least 2 years’ practical experience relevant to the work to be performed by a workplace safety and health co-ordinator.
(4) Any occupier of a worksite who contravenes paragraph (2) or (3) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000 and, in the case of a continuing offence, to a further fine not exceeding $1,000 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction.

Duties of workplace safety and health co-ordinator (WSHC)

(1) It shall be the duty of a workplace safety and health co-ordinator to —
(a) assist the occupier of the worksite to identify any unsafe condition in the worksite or unsafe work practice which is carried out in the worksite;
(b) recommend to the occupier of the worksite to implement such reasonably practicable measures to remedy the unsafe condition or unsafe work practice; and
(c) assist the occupier of the worksite to implement such reasonably practicable measures referred to in sub-paragraph (b).
(2) Any workplace safety and health co-ordinator who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $1,000 and, in the case of a second or subsequent offence, to a further fine not exceeding $5,000.

Requirement for Workplace Safety & Health Officer

Workplaces requiring workplace safety and health (WSH) officers

Workplaces required to appoint a WSH officer are stipulated in the Second Schedule of  the WSH (WSH Officer) Regulations, including:
(a) Shipyards in which any ship, tanker and other vessels are constructed, reconstructed, repaired, refitted, finished or broken up;
(b) Factories used for processing petroleum or petroleum products;
(c) Factories in which building operations or works of engineering construction of a contract sum of $10 million or more are carried out; and
(d) Any other factories in which 100 or more persons are employed, except those which are used for manufacturing garments.

Duties of workplace safety and health officer (WSHO)

(1) The duties of a workplace safety and health officer (WSHO) appointed in respect of a workplace shall be:

(a) to assist the occupier of the workplace or other person in charge of the workplace to identify and assess any foreseeable risk arising from the workplace or work processes therein;
(b) to recommend to the occupier of the workplace or other person in charge of the workplace reasonably practicable measures to eliminate any foreseeable risk to any person who is at work in that workplace or may be affected by the occupier’s undertaking in the workplace;
(c) where it is not reasonably practicable to eliminate the risk referred to in sub-paragraph (b), to recommend to the occupier of the workplace or other person in charge of the workplace —
(i) such reasonably practicable measures to minimise the risk; and
(ii) such safe work procedures to control the risk; and
(d) to assist the occupier of the workplace or other person in charge of the workplace implement the measure or safe work procedure (SWP)
(2) Any workplace safety and health officer (WSHO) who, without reasonable excuse, contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and, in the case of a 2nd or subsequent offence, to a fine not exceeding $10,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both.

Requirements for approval as workplace safety and health officer (WSHO)

For the purposes of section 33 (3) (a) of the WSH Act, a person may be approved to act as a workplace safety and health officer if he satisfies the Commissioner that —
(a) he has —
     (i) successfully completed a training course to equip him to become a workplace safety and health officer; and
    (ii) at least 2 years’ practical experience relevant to the work to be performed by a workplace safety and health officer; or
(b) although not having the qualifications and practical experience in paragraph (a), he nevertheless has had such other qualifications and practical experience as to render him, in the Commissioner’s opinion, competent to act as a workplace safety and health officer.

Application for Workplace Safety & Health Officer

You may apply for Workplace Safety and Health Officer certification online.

 

Application criteria

The application will only be considered if the applicant meets the following application criteria:

• Applicant must be at least 21 years old
• Applicant must have at least one of the prescribed Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) related qualification
• Applicant must have at least two years practical experience relevant to the work to be performed by a WSH officer (documentary proof/testimonial from employer is required)
• As part of the application process, the applicant may be required to attend an interview to assess his/her suitability to become a WSH Officer

For more details, see MOM webpage