SINGAPORE – Building owners and businesses can now tap a $30-million grant to offset the costs of adopting tools and technologies for cleaning and waste management tasks.

For instance, they can use the money for equipment such as autonomous floor cleaners.

The Productivity Solutions Grant for the environmental services industry, launched by Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources Amy Khor yesterday, will be available until Jan 31, 2020.

The grant aims to encourage business and premises owners to adopt technologies that will increase operational efficiency and productivity, as part of efforts to make the industry manpower-lean.

Increasing the number of workers to meet the growing demand for environmental services is unsustainable given manpower constraints, said Dr Khor on the sidelines of an event to raise awareness among cleaning service providers of the benefits of job redesign.

Noting that the average age of workers in the cleaning sector is 60, Dr Khor said that instead of replacing older workers, technology can help make their jobs less physically challenging.

“Repetitive and laborious tasks can be reduced using automation, and workers can focus on higher value-added jobs,” she said.

Licensed waste management and cleaning companies with existing contracts in Singapore as well as building and facility owners eligible for the grant can receive up to half of qualifying costs or up to $250,000 per company.

Licensed waste management and cleaning companies with existing contracts in Singapore as well as building and facility owners eligible for the grant can receive up to half of qualifying costs or up to $250,000 per company.

The new grant complements the existing WorkPro Job Redesign Grant by Workforce Singapore, which helps defray implementation costs incurred by cleaning firms in adopting solutions that will benefit workers aged 50 and above. More than 50 cleaning firms have tapped the job redesign grant since July 2016, benefiting close to 1,400 older workers, Dr Khor said.

Forwarded from Straitstimes