Managing heat stress in the workplace: building a programme around MOM's measures
The WSH Council's guidelines and MOM's measures, turned into a heat stress management programme your site can actually run.
Singapore has two main references for heat stress at work:
- the WSH Council's Workplace Safety and Health Guidelines on Managing Heat Stress in the Workplace, a detailed guide revised in 2020 and announced in March 2021; and
- MOM's Heat Stress Measures for Outdoor Work, which set out what employers must do, with four more measures becoming mandatory on 1 December 2026.
Read together, they point to one approach: a heat stress management programme that runs every day, not a set of measures taken out only on hot afternoons.
What a heat stress management programme looks like
A programme makes the measures part of how the site runs. It has an owner, a routine and records. These are the parts it should cover.
1. Assess the risk
Include heat stress in your WSH risk assessment for every outdoor activity, and review it when the work or site changes. See how to put heat stress into your risk assessment.
2. Monitor the heat
Check the WBGT every hour during outdoor work, using an on-site meter where required or NEA's readings in the myENV app. See MOM's WBGT monitoring guidelines.
3. Control exposure
- Water: cool drinking water within a 3 to 5 minute walk, and regular drinks of at least 300 ml an hour when WBGT reaches 31°C.
- Rest: shaded rest areas near the work; breaks of at least 10 minutes an hour for heavy work from WBGT 32°C, and 15 minutes from 33°C.
- Scheduling: heavy work moved to cooler hours.
- Ventilation and clothing: fans or air coolers, and loose, breathable workwear.
4. Prepare the people
- Acclimatise new and returning workers over at least 7 days.
- Train everyone exposed to heat: signs, risk factors, site measures and emergency steps. This becomes mandatory on 1 December 2026.
- Run a buddy system, and identify vulnerable workers with a plan to redeploy them.
5. Be ready for an emergency
Have an emergency procedure, a way for workers to report feeling unwell, and cold water, ice packs or water spray on standby. See first aid for heat illness.
6. Keep records and review
Keep the WBGT log, training and acclimatisation records, and the daily check of water and emergency supplies. Review the programme after any heat incident and at least when the risk assessment is reviewed.
Who does what
| Role | Responsibility |
|---|---|
| Management | Owns the programme, provides resources, approves the risk assessment |
| WSH officer / coordinator | Runs the WBGT checks, keeps records, organises training |
| Supervisors | Enforce rest breaks and water rounds, watch workers, act on alerts |
| Workers | Drink regularly, take breaks, look out for their buddy, report symptoms early |
Why a programme beats a checklist
A checklist tells you whether the measures exist. A programme makes sure they happen on the hottest day of the year, when supervisors are busy and the schedule is tight. The difference is routine, ownership and records.
How HeatAware helps
HeatAware gives you the programme in one kit: rest shelter, water stations, WBGT monitoring, emergency cooling, workwear, site documents and training, set up on site in about 3 hours. The app keeps the records and reminds your team when the WBGT band changes.
Size your kit and take the 17-point checklist to see where your site stands.
Based on the WSH Council's WSH Guidelines on Managing Heat Stress in the Workplace and MOM's Heat Stress Measures for Outdoor Work. Read the full guidelines for detail.