Contact and safety agreement that is meant for foreign domestic worker

Window cleaning is the one household chore MOM writes into law. The rule has been in place since 2012, after five domestic workers died in falls while cleaning windows between January and June that year. Falls still happen. In October 2026, MOM said it was investigating a helper's fall in Sengkang while she was cleaning windows.

Here is what the rule says, what the safety agreement covers, and a checklist you can run through at home.

What are MOM's window cleaning rules for helpers?

You must not let your helper clean the outside of a window unless both conditions are met:

• The rules apply to all homes: HDB, condo and landed.
• Windows on the ground level or along a common corridor are exempt.
• The grille must stop her from putting any part of her body past the ledge except her arms.
• Legal basis: Condition 2, Part I of the Fourth Schedule, Employment of Foreign Manpower (Work Passes) Regulations.

Which windows can my helper clean?

Swipe left or right to see the full table on mobile.

What is the penalty for letting a helper clean windows unsafely?

• MOM acts against about 15 employers a year on average for breaking the window cleaning rules (Parliament reply, 14 Oct 2025).
• Over that decade, negligence by 6 employers led to their helpers falling from height.
• From 2020 to 2024, 3 employment agencies were taken to task for not getting the safety agreement signed.

Is it only about windows? Other household hazards

No. Every helper work permit carries a wider duty: the employer must provide safe working conditions and take the measures needed for her safety and health at work.

So the same thinking applies to any work at height: ledges, roofs, glass canopies, air-con ledges and high shelves reached by standing on stools. If you would not do it yourself without a harness, do not ask her to.

What is the MOM safety agreement?

It is a short form that makes sure you and your helper both understand MOM's window cleaning restrictions. Your employment agency arranges and explains it.

• Three parties: employer, helper, and the employment agency. Each keeps a copy.
• Her language: MOM provides versions such as Bahasa Indonesia, Tagalog and Burmese, so she can read what she signs.
• Part A (employer): your home type, whether she needs to clean window exteriors, where those windows are, and whether grilles are installed.
• Part C (helper): she confirms what she has understood about window cleaning at your home.
• Parts B and D (agency): the agency explains the rules and completes its sections.
• Fill in Part A fully before signing. Do not pre-sign or sign an incomplete form.

Swipe left or right to see the full table on mobile.

Do I also need an employment contract with my helper?

Domestic workers are not covered by the Employment Act, so MOM advises a signed contract to avoid disputes. Your agency can draft one. Cover at least:

• Salary
• Number of rest days each month, and pay if she works on a rest day
• Placement loan
• Notice period, and pay in lieu of notice

Either side can end the contract by giving the notice in it. If you cannot give notice, pay salary in lieu. Both sides can agree to waive notice.

Window safety checklist for employers

• ✓ Grilles on every high-floor window she will clean from outside
• ✓ Grilles locked before she starts, and kept locked till she finishes
• ✓ You or another adult in the room, watching, the whole time
• ✓ She stays inside; only her arms go past the ledge
• ✓ No stools, chairs or ladders to lean out further
• ✓ No climbing onto ledges, canopies, roofs or air-con ledges
• ✓ Safety agreement signed and a copy kept
• ✓ In doubt? Leave the outside panes, or hire a professional window cleaner

Need help? Helpers can call the MOM FDW Helpline at 1800 339 5505 or the Centre for Domestic Employees at 1800 2255 233.

P.S. Grilles locked, an adult in the room, arms only past the ledge. Three checks, every time.