Under Singapore’s Workplace Safety and Health (Medical Examinations) Regulations, employees exposed to specified occupational hazards must undergo the prescribed medical examinations by a Designated Workplace Doctor (DWD). 

For the list hazards, please refer to https://www.mom.gov.sg/workplace-safety-and-health/monitoring-and-surveillance/medical-monitoring/requirements

Not necessarily. Because many effects build up gradually, a lack of symptoms isn’t a reliable sign that exposure is under control. Surveillance helps catch changes that a worker might not notice or link to the job.

There are two stages. For the pre-placement examination, MOM’s guidance says it should be done within 3 months of starting work. Periodic examinations follow, and their frequency and tests depend on the hazard, as set out in the Schedule of the WSH (Medical Examinations) Regulations. Employers should keep a record of each worker’s start date and last examination date. mom

Only a Designated Workplace Doctor (DWD), meaning a doctor registered with MOM for this purpose. A check-up by a general doctor doesn’t meet the requirement. DWDs were previously known as Designated Factory Doctors (DFDs), before the rules were extended to all workplaces.

The role is wider than a clinical check. Under the regulations, a DWD can:

• certify whether a worker is fit for work in the exposed occupation, which applies to the pre-placement examination in particular
• report the examination results to MOM in the prescribed manner
• recommend that a worker be suspended from the exposed work where medical findings warrant it
• inspect the place of work

Trinity Medical Group provides occupational health services to support employers in arranging medical examinations for employees exposed to prescribed occupational hazards.

Our team can assist employers with identifying the relevant examination requirements, coordinating the appropriate medical assessments, and supporting the medical certification and reporting process through the DWD.