MOM investigating after helper falls from height while window cleaning

SINGAPORE – The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is investigating an incident involving a migrant domestic worker (MDW) who fell from height on Oct 8 while window cleaning.

In response to queries from The Straits Times, the Singapore Civil Defence Force said it received a call for assistance at Block 121A Rivervale Drive on Oct 8 at around 10.30am.

One person was taken to Khoo Teck Puat Hospital.

In a video circulating online, a woman, who is alive and breathing, is seen lying at the foot of a building with what appears to be a squeegee nearby on the ground. She is being attended by three SCDF personnel.

Another photo of the incident shows her on a stretcher.

In its statement, MOM reminded all employers that they are responsible for ensuring the safety of their foreign domestic helpers at all times.

The ministry said employers must guide their foreign domestic helpers to follow safe practices when performing tasks such as window cleaning. This includes checking that window grilles are properly installed and locked throughout the cleaning process, it added.

It said all first-time employers and first-time foreign domestic helpers are educated on essential safety measures during the Employers’ Orientation Programme and Settling-In Programme respectively. These programmes cover essential safety practices, including window cleaning.

Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, employers of foreign domestic helpers are required to provide safe working conditions, and those who breach these requirements can be fined up to $10,000 and/or imprisoned for up to 12 months. They may also be barred from employing a domestic helper, said MOM.

Under existing regulations, employers are not allowed to let their foreign domestic helpers clean the exterior of windows unless strict safety conditions are met.

An employer or adult representative must be present to supervise the domestic worker, and window grilles must be installed and locked at all times during the cleaning.

The rule came about following the deaths of five domestic workers between January and June in 2012. They had fallen while cleaning windows in an unsafe manner.

Between 2015 and 2024, an average of 15 employers each year faced enforcement actions for failing to comply with safety standards regarding window cleaning by their migrant domestic workers.

In 2025, a 39-year-old domestic worker died after she was believed to have fallen from a height while cleaning windows.

In 2021, a 26-year-old Indonesian maid, who is also also believed to have fallen while cleaning windows, died in hospital after she was found at the bottom of a block of flats near Hougang MRT station.