Construction firm charged with operating unlicensed foreign worker dormitory

SINGAPORE – A construction firm was charged on Oct 29 with operating an unlicensed foreign worker dormitory within a Sungei Kadut Loop factory.

LBD Engineering is accused committing the offence between July 2025 and January 2026.

The firm and its general manager Alvin Lim Yee Hong, 35, face one charge each under the Foreign Employee Dormitories Act.

Lim is accused of allowing the company to operate the premises despite knowing that it did not hold a valid licence to do so.

Their cases will be mentioned again in court on Dec 17.

In a statement on Oct 29, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) said that around 300 bed spaces were found at the site when it inspected the factory on Jan 6.

LBD had allegedly converted parts of the premises into a foreign employee dormitory, housing 173 migrant workers from four companies without a valid licence between July 2025 and January 2026.

Details about the four companies were not mentioned in court documents.

An MOM spokesperson said licensing requirements ensure that dormitories provide safe and proper living conditions for migrant workers.

“Operating a foreign employee dormitory without a valid licence circumvents these safeguards, and may put the safety and well-being of migrant worker residents at risk.”

If convicted, an offender can be jailed for up to two years, fined up to $500,000 or both.

Shaffiq Alkhatib is The Straits Times’ court correspondent, covering mainly criminal cases heard at the State Courts.