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By March 2022, more than 2,000 premises will be expected to implement the environmental sanitation (ES) regime.

New environmental sanitation regime

The regime will be implemented progressively from July 2021 at higher-risk premises like preschools, schools, youth facilities, and eldercare facilities.

It will be followed by hawker centres and coffee shops.

Premises managers will be required to implement an environmental sanitation programme, and will be responsible for the cleanliness of their premises.

A technical guide developed by the Environmental Sanitation Technical Committee will provide premises owners with information on what to do, and what to look out for when dealing with incidents involving bodily fluids or discharge.

Here are some of the guidelines:

• Minimum daily cleaning frequencies for toilets, lifts, bin centres, and high-touch surfaces.
• Minimum six-monthly through cleaning periodic cleaning, which includes cleaning of areas that are not easily accessible and not covered by routine cleaning (e.g. out-of-reach window panels, ceiling and wall fans).
• Intense cleaning of areas that are covered under routine cleaning may also be required during thorough periodic cleaning.
• The frequency of thorough periodic cleaning may be increased depending on the type of premises.
• Pest management plan to ensure that measures are in place to prevent pest issues.

Environmental Control Coordinator training for staff

Premises owners will have to send their staff for Environmental Control Coordinator (ECC) training, which will be made available from March 2021.

The training will be conducted by SkillsFuture Singapore accredited training providers.

From March 2021, more than 2,000 ECCs are expected to be trained.

Senior Minister of State in the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) Amy Khor said in her speech that eligible participants will receive up to about 90 per cent in course fee subsidy.

The training will provide ECCs with skills in planning and implementing a full array of environmental measures, including cleaning and disinfection, pest management, waste management and other relevant environmental topics.

With the skills learned from the training, one of the roles of an ECC is to assist premise managers in developing and implementing the environmental sanitation programme.

According to a press release by MSE, ECCs should preferably hold supervisory roles within the premises that they are working in.

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Top image from NEA's Facebook page.