Study on Adequacy of Ventilation in Migrant Workers' Dormitory Rooms

Mr Louis Ng Kok Kwang asked the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment (a) whether the Ministry has conducted studies in migrant worker dormitories to assess the adequacy of ventilation in rooms using CO2 samples as proxy similar to studies conducted in MINDEF/SAF accommodations; (b) if so, what are the readings from the CO2 samples; and (c) if not, whether the Ministry will conduct such studies.

In 2021, the National Environment Agency (NEA) and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) conducted a study on the ventilation in migrant worker dormitories using carbon dioxide measurements as a proxy. The study found that almost all of the carbon dioxide measurements taken at the congregational, recreational and living areas of migrant worker dormitories were below 1,100 parts per million.

Dormitory operators are required under the licensing conditions of the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act to ensure that there is adequate ventilation for daily living activities and sufficient air circulation within rooms. Carbon dioxide levels below 1,100 parts per million, generally, indicate adequate ventilation. This threshold is based on the Singapore Standard 554 Code of Practice for Indoor Air Quality for Air-Conditioned Buildings and the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers.