Compulsory licence for construction sector operators as new law comes into force
Those operating without a licence shall be stopped immediately, BCA says
Updated 4.35pm with NBC statement
A new law regulating contractors in the construction sector has come into force, requiring operators involved in demolition, excavation, and construction to possess a licence, the Building and Construction Authority said.
Those operating without a licence shall be immediately stopped, it warned.
It said that in recent months, the Independent Contractor Licensing Committee approved 2265 applications for a contractor licence, 832 demolition operators' licences, 509 excavation licences, and 924 building licences.
"Through this reform, the Authority will not only have full visibility of operators in the sector, but the specialisation of licensing will lead to higher standards," it said.
The BCA explained that it organised a number of informative meetings for contractors while strengthening its inspectorate.
It is also working on a Building and Construction Code which will be rolled out gradually.
"The licensing of contractors goes hand in hand with the licensing of masons, where the most important parts of this sector are being regulated by law," it said.
The process will be followed by a mandatory skill card requirement for all those working on a construction site.
NBC wants contractor classification
In a statement, the National Building Council said compulsory licencing was a "pivotal move" to ensuring accountability within the construction industry but said more needed to be done.
It said the next steps should be classifying contractors according to their qualifications, expertise and operational capacity as well as requiring all architects and structural engineers to submit structural drawings of completed projects.