More than 20 business groups on Tuesday issued a joint statement urging “careful consideration” by the Government when looking at possible regulatory changes to transporting workers on lorries, citing “real, practical and operational complexities” involved.

This comes after accidents involving lorries on July 18 and 19 where 37 people – including migrant workers – were injured, which led advocates to renew calls for improvements in safety standards.

The letter was issued on behalf of 11 associations and companies including the Association of Small and Medium Enterprises, and 13 other groups under the Specialist Trade Alliance of Singapore, such as the Micro Builders Association and the Singapore Plumbing Society...

In the statement, the groups said that while many large companies have stopped using lorries to ferry workers, addressing the issue requires “responsible and thoughtful engagement with various stakeholders” for the majority of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

The groups added that changes such as implementing a ban on the practice was of great concern to them...