Expensive lessons in NEA's Public Health laws

I'm assuming many of us do now, thanks to Ms Summer Sia, who was fined $300 for bringing her dog into an eatery. Ms Sia was reportedly unaware that under Section 29 of the Environmental Public Health (Food Hygiene) Regulations, dogs could not be brought into licensed eateries:

Live animal

29 (1) Except as provided in paragraphs (3) and (5) [of this Section], no person shall —
(a) bring any live animal into, or cause or permit any live animal to be brought into or kept in, any licensed premises; or
(b) cause or permit any live animal to be kept in any place which is abutting, or which opens directly into, any licensed premises.

Ms Sia is now appealing the fine. But should that fine have been imposed in the first place?

I can understand the rationale for such a regulation - there is a need to keep food places clean and hygienic, so that we won't end up catching something we shouldn't, just by having a meal at a food centre. So I'm not disagreeing with the rationale.

I'm not disputing the fine amount for the first offence - $300 - that would serve as a strong deterrent, and would ensure that pet owners or animal handlers kept their animals out of eateries.

But for NEA to impose the fine directly on a first-time offender makes me wonder. Would a formal warning letter have sufficed? Maybe monitoring the number of such incidents before deciding that such offences should be prosecuted?

I know that the fine for a first time litterbug is about the same - $300 - but the act of littering is far less excusable due to the non-stop, year-round anti-littering messages. But the offence of bringing an animal into a food centre is not so well publicised, and I would agree with critics of the law who said that more public education is necessary.

Other offences

And while we're talking about lesser-known offences under Environmental Public Health (Public Cleansing) Regulations, here's a reminder of what you face for doing what you ought not to do, or for not doing what you ought to have done:

1. Section 7 - Littering from second storey (and upwards) of a building. This includes dirt, ashes, dust or "offal". So if they catch you flicking ashes over the parapet wall of your HDB block you get fined too.

2. Section 9 - Offering services of a barber in public areas. Yes, this includes stairways, back lanes and roads. Don't believe me? Google "foreign worker barbers".

3. Section 12 - Dangerous or "offensive" articles deposit refuse bins. This includes dead animal, dung or stable refuse (you get the feeling that horse stable owners used to dump dung into litter bins in the past).

4. Section 15 - Human waste. Here's the nasty one - thou shalt not urinate, defecate, spit, expel mucous from the nose onto the street or floor or part of a public service (public transport) vehicle, or other place to which public has access. And yes, I'm glad most of us know about this already.

5. Section 16 - Flushing toilets after using them. Yup, it's an offence if you don't flush a "sanitary convenience" IMMEDIATELY after using it.

6. Section 16A - Public toilet. Every owner or occupier of a building shall ensure that... wait for it.... all the public toilets therein have TOILET PAPER, SOAP OR LIQUID DETERGENT, LITTER BINS, CLEAN TOWELS OR HAND DRYERS! [NEA, I know of many owners / occupiers that you can fine for this!]

7. Section 17A - Domestic animals' faecal matter. Pick up after your pooch, or pay up after they poop.

8. Section 23 - Litter bins on every omnibus (read: any vehicle with seating capacity of more than 6 persons, offered for transport of persons for hire or reward). Yes, so technically, those 7 seater taxis should have a litter bin on board. 

9. Section 25 - Obstruction of cleansing work. This one, I'm serious about. Full text of the law: "No person shall prevent, hinder or delay, in any manner whatsoever, the work of cleansing any street, drain or other place by the employees of any Government department or statutory authority." So please don't give our cleaners or workers any trouble.

In case you're wondering, a first time offender for any of the above offences can get fined up to $1,000. A second offence may get you a fine of up to $2,000. Do it a third time? A maximum $5,000 fine. Guess it pays to read the law.