Scaffold Fire Safety Requirements 2026

The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is strengthening fire-safety controls for scaffolds used in Singapore’s construction sector. From 1 January 2027, the permissible duration for using timber scaffolds will fall from nine months to three months (MOM, 2 July 2026).

Timber-scaffold transition rule

Timber scaffolds that were set up before 1 January 2027 may continue to be used for nine months. Any new timber scaffold set up at those sites from 1 January 2027 is subject to the three-month limit. MOM may grant an extension case by case where there are extenuating circumstances, such as technical constraints (MOM, 2 July 2026).

Scaffold netting and implementation boundary

MOM and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) are reviewing fire-performance requirements for netting that envelops scaffolds outside buildings. The future obligation is under review and may apply to scaffold contractors, netting manufacturers, netting suppliers or other relevant parties, but MOM had not yet published the detailed requirements or implementation date as at 2 September 2026 (MOM, 2 July 2026).

The policy reduces prolonged exposure to combustible timber and encourages more durable non-combustible systems such as steel, aluminium and metal modular scaffolds. It is a worksite safety requirement, not a general prohibition on all timber scaffolding before the effective date (MOM, 2 July 2026).

Practical implementation boundary

The change gives construction-sector stakeholders time to adapt practices, processes, materials and resources before 1 January 2027. MOM explains that the shorter duration addresses both fire spread and the possibility that weather, wear, tear or mechanical damage may compromise timber-scaffold integrity over time (MOM, 2 July 2026). The published extension mechanism is discretionary and case by case; the factsheet does not create a standing blanket exemption for delayed projects. Separately, the netting review is not yet an operative technical specification: MOM and SCDF will provide more details before implementation, and the eventual obligations may be allocated to contractors, manufacturers, suppliers or other relevant industry parties. Readers should therefore keep the effective timber-scaffold rule distinct from the still-developing netting requirements.

How to read the transition in practice

The decisive fact is not simply whether a project is already under way; it is when the particular timber scaffold was set up. A scaffold established before 1 January 2027 remains within the stated nine-month treatment, while a new timber scaffold set up from that date is subject to the three-month limit, even if it serves a project that began earlier (MOM, 2 July 2026). An extension is not automatic when work is delayed: MOM describes case-by-case consideration for extenuating circumstances, including technical constraints. The factsheet also does not say that the future netting rule has already changed the timber-scaffold limit, or that steel, aluminium and metal modular systems are a blanket legal substitute for every site-specific design decision. Contractors and other duty holders should document setup dates, assess the applicable worksite requirements and wait for the later MOM/SCDF netting specification before treating that review as an operative compliance standard.