# Improved Standards for New Migrant Worker Dormitories to Strengthen Public Health Resilience and Enhance Liveability

- **Source:** Ministry of National Development
- **Published:** 2021-09-17T15:00:00.000Z
- **Author:** Ministry of National Development
- **Original:** https://www.mnd.gov.sg/newsroom/press-releases/view/improved-standards-for-new-migrant-worker-dormitories-to-strengthen-public-health-resilience-and-enhance-liveability
- **Topics:** Government & Policy

## Featured rationale

Lower-density rooms, expanded facilities and additional bed supply could raise dormitory development costs but strengthen liveability, public-health resilience and sustainable migrant-worker accommodation capacity.

## AI summary

New dormitory applications from 18 September 2021 face improved standards, while two government-owned sites at Kranji and Jalan Tukang will provide at least 12,500 beds.

## Original article

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM), Ministry of National Development (MND) and Ministry of Health (MOH) have developed improved standards for new migrant worker dormitories to strengthen resilience against future pandemics and enhance liveability. The new standards will apply to all new dormitories1, including Purpose-Built Dormitories (PBDs), Factory-Converted Dormitories (FCDs), Construction Temporary Quarters (CTQs) and Temporary Occupation Licence Quarters (TOLQs). 

The Government has conducted a comprehensive review of existing dormitory standards in consultation with public health and infectious diseases experts, taking reference from local and international standards. A set of standards was piloted at the Quick Build Dormitories (QBDs)2. These standards were subsequently refined, based on our experiences with the QBDs and in managing the COVID-19 outbreak in the dormitories. The review also took into consideration the feedback from stakeholders including employers, dormitory operators, migrant workers, Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and architects. 

Improved standards for new dormitories 

The improved standards will reduce the risk of transmission of infectious diseases in dormitories by: 

a. Reducing intermixing amongst dormitory residents by modularising dormitory living and segmenting communal facilities (e.g. cooking, dining and laundry facilities). Examples include: Room occupancy capped to 12 residents, en-suite toilets, and segmentation of communal facilities for dedicated use by 120 residents per section;

b. Improving ventilation of dormitory rooms and toilets to reduce virus accumulation within enclosed areas. Examples include: Requiring at least one exhaust fan per toilet and adequate number of fans in dormitory rooms to ensure sufficient air circulation. 

c. Facilitating early detection and quick isolation of unwell residents. Examples include: Increased isolation facility capacity and requirements to facilitate wastewater surveillance. 

The standards will also enhance liveability for dormitory residents. Residents will have more spacious rooms (at least 4.2 sqm living space per resident) and in-room Wi-Fi coverage to allow them to communicate with their families and friends. 

The improved standards will complement existing safeguards such as enhanced Safe Living and Safe Working Measures at dormitories and worksites, including the implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) practices, and the multi-layered strategy to detect, isolate and contain outbreaks. A longer-term medical support plan is also being developed to ensure migrant workers have access to comprehensive and timely primary care. 

The key changes in the improved standards are summarised in Table 1 below. Please refer to Annex A for more details on the key improved standards.

Standards

Current3

New

Occupancy per room

No maximum residents per room. In practice, 12 to 16 residents per room. 

No requirement for spacing between beds, mostly double-decker beds

≤ 12 residents per room 

≥ 1 meter spacing between beds, double-decker beds allowed

Occupancy per floor

≤ 240 residents

≤ 240 residents, capable of being divided into self-contained sections of 120 residents

Communal facilities (e.g. cooking, dining, laundry facilities)

No segmentation required

Designed to allow segmentation for dedicated use by ≤120 residents per section

Ventilation

Subjected to BCA’s prevailing requirements for natural ventilation4, e.g. windows or openings to be at least 5% of the floor area of the room

Additional requirements:

≥ 1 exhaust fan per toilet

Adequate number of fans, reasonably spaced out throughout room, to provide sufficient air circulation

If Air conditioning is provided in room, additional requirement, i.e. install a filter of at least MERV14 rating, to reduce transmission risks in enclosed areas

Toilets

≥ 1 set of common or en-suite toilet, bathroom, sink and urinal: 15 residents

≥ 1 set of en-suite toilet, bathroom, sink: 6 residents

Isolation facility

≥ 1 isolation bed per 1,000 bed spaces during peacetime

≥ Additional 19 isolation beds per 1,000 bed spaces to be stood up during pandemics

≥ 10 isolation beds per 1,000 bed spaces during peacetime

≥ Additional 15 isolation beds per 1,000 bed spaces to be stood up during pandemics

Living space excluding shared living facilities5

≥ 3.5sqm per resident

≥ 4.2sqm per resident

Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi in common areas for residents

Wi-Fi in common areas and rooms for residents6

Providing sustainable housing options for migrant workers 

To ensure sufficient housing for our migrant workers and support efforts to reduce the density of existing dormitories, the Government will be launching two new PBD sites (at least 12,500 beds) at Kranji and Jalan Tukang, to be completed in the next three years. To ensure the timely construction of PBD beds in the current economic climate, the Government will construct and own these dormitories, while the day-to-day operations will be managed by a dormitory operator. The Government will continue to monitor and assess the overall housing needs of the migrant workforce and launch new PBD sites, where necessary. Given our limited land area, some dormitories may have to be located closer to residential areas. We hope that Singaporeans will continue to give their support to these workers who build and maintain our homes and public spaces. 

1These standards will apply to all new applications submitted on or after 18 September 2021 to the relevant Government agencies for clearance to develop a dormitory. For existing dormitories, we are reviewing the improvements that are feasible within current built infrastructure constraints. 

2The standards piloted at QBDs include 10 residents per room, en-suite toilets and ensuring communal facilities (e.g. cooking, dining and laundry facilities) cater to residents in smaller groups. 

3The current standards refer to standards that were applied to dormitories licensed under FEDA.

4Permanent dormitories (i.e. PBDs and FCDs) are subject to the BCA Approved Document for Building Control Regulations, and temporary dormitories (i.e. CTQs and TOLQs) are subject to the BCA Building Control (Temporary Building) Regulations.

5The current standard of a minimum living space per resident of 4.5sqm today includes shared living facilities (e.g. en-suite kitchen, toilets, yard spaces). Excluding the shared living facilities, this broadly works out to a minimum living space per resident of 3.5sqm.

6Provision of in-room wi-fi should be priced into the bed rental rates charged. Hence, residents should not be separately charged for their wi-fi usage.

## Chinese translation

> Translation model: grok_cli

### 提升新建外籍劳工宿舍标准，加强公共卫生韧性并改善宜居性

人力部（MOM）、国家发展部（MND）与卫生部（MOH）已制定新建外籍劳工宿舍的提升标准，以加强对未来大流行病的韧性并改善宜居性。新标准将适用于所有新建宿舍1，包括专用建造宿舍（PBD）、工厂改建宿舍（FCD）、建筑工地临时宿舍（CTQ）以及临时占用许可证宿舍（TOLQ）。

政府已在咨询公共卫生与传染病专家后，对现行宿舍标准进行全面检讨，并参考本地与国际标准。一套标准已在快速建造宿舍（QBD）2试点。其后，根据我们在快速建造宿舍方面的经验，以及应对宿舍2019冠状病毒疾病疫情的经验，对这些标准作了完善。检讨亦考虑了包括雇主、宿舍运营商、外籍劳工、非政府组织（NGO）及建筑师等利益相关方的反馈。

新建宿舍的提升标准

提升标准将通过以下方式降低宿舍内传染病传播风险：

a. 通过宿舍生活模块化以及分割共用设施（例如烹饪、用餐和洗衣设施），减少宿舍住客之间的交叉混杂。例子包括：每间房入住人数上限为12人、套房式厕所，以及将共用设施分割，供每个分区最多120名住客专用；

b. 改善宿舍房间与厕所的通风，以减少封闭空间内的病毒积聚。例子包括：每个厕所至少须设一台抽气扇，宿舍房间内须有足够数量的风扇，以确保充足空气流通。

c. 便于及早发现并快速隔离身体不适的住客。例子包括：提高隔离设施容量，以及便于污水监测的相关要求。

这些标准亦将提升宿舍住客的宜居性。住客将享有更宽敞的房间（每名住客至少4.2平方米生活空间），以及房内Wi-Fi覆盖，以便与家人和朋友联系。

提升标准将与现有保障措施相辅相成，例如宿舍与工地加强的安全居住与安全工作措施，包括落实感染预防与控制（IPC）做法，以及侦测、隔离与遏制疫情的多层次策略。政府亦正在制定较长期的医疗支持计划，以确保外籍劳工能获得全面且及时的基层医疗护理。

提升标准的主要变化汇总于下表1。有关主要提升标准的更多详情，请参阅附件A。

标准

现行3

新

每间房入住人数

每间房无最高住客人数限制。实务上，每间房12至16名住客。

床位之间无间距要求，多为双层床

每间房 ≤ 12名住客

床位之间间距 ≥ 1米，允许双层床

每层楼入住人数

≤ 240名住客

≤ 240名住客，并须能划分为各容纳120名住客的自给自足分区

共用设施（例如烹饪、用餐、洗衣设施）

无分割要求

设计上须可分割，供每个分区 ≤120名住客专用

通风

须符合建屋局（BCA）现行自然通风要求4，例如窗户或开口面积至少为房间楼面面积的5%

额外要求：

每个厕所 ≥ 1台抽气扇

房间内须有足够数量、合理分布的风扇，以提供充足空气流通

若房间设有空调，则另有要求，即安装至少MERV14等级的过滤器，以降低封闭空间内的传播风险

厕所

≥ 1套共用或套房式厕所、浴室、洗手盆与小便斗：15名住客

≥ 1套套房式厕所、浴室、洗手盆：6名住客

隔离设施

和平时期每1,000个床位 ≥ 1张隔离床

大流行期间须额外提供每1,000个床位 ≥ 19张隔离床

和平时期每1,000个床位 ≥ 10张隔离床

大流行期间须额外提供每1,000个床位 ≥ 15张隔离床

不包括共用生活设施的生活空间5

每名住客 ≥ 3.5平方米

每名住客 ≥ 4.2平方米

Wi-Fi

住客共用区域提供Wi-Fi

住客共用区域及房间均提供Wi-Fi6

为外籍劳工提供可持续的住宿选择

为确保外籍劳工有足够住宿，并支持降低现有宿舍密度的努力，政府将在克兰芝（Kranji）及惹兰都康（Jalan Tukang）推出两个新的专用建造宿舍用地（至少12,500个床位），预计在未来三年内竣工。为在当前经济环境下确保专用建造宿舍床位及时建成，政府将建造并拥有这些宿舍，日常营运则由宿舍运营商管理。政府将持续监测并评估外籍劳动力的整体住宿需求，并在必要时推出新的专用建造宿舍用地。鉴于我国土地有限，部分宿舍可能不得不设在较靠近住宅区的地点。我们希望新加坡人继续支持这些建造并维护我们家园与公共空间的劳工。

1这些标准将适用于2021年9月18日或之后向相关政府机构提交、以取得宿舍开发批准的所有新申请。至于现有宿舍，我们正在检讨在现有建成基础设施限制下可行的改善措施。

2在快速建造宿舍试点的标准包括每间房10名住客、套房式厕所，以及确保共用设施（例如烹饪、用餐和洗衣设施）可服务较小分组的住客。

3现行标准指适用于根据FEDA获发执照宿舍的标准。

4永久性宿舍（即专用建造宿舍与工厂改建宿舍）须符合建屋局《建筑管制规例批准文件》；临时宿舍（即建筑工地临时宿舍与临时占用许可证宿舍）须符合建屋局《建筑管制（临时建筑物）规例》。

5现行每名住客最低生活空间4.5平方米的标准包含共用生活设施（例如套房式厨房、厕所、庭院空间）。在不包括共用生活设施的情况下，大致相当于每名住客最低生活空间3.5平方米。

6房内Wi-Fi的提供应计入所收取的床位租金。因此，住客不应就其Wi-Fi使用另行收费。