What a Building Licence LEW does
Under the Electricity Act, any electrical installation above a defined threshold must be operated under a Building Licence with a named Licensed Electrical Worker (LEW) attached. The LEW is the person legally responsible for the safety, maintenance and compliance of the installation — for as long as it operates.
For an MCST (Management Corporation Strata Title) or a building owner, this is usually not a role that can be filled in-house. Engaging an external LEW transfers the statutory responsibility to a competent licensed professional who carries professional liability insurance and reports directly to the council.
Who needs Building Licence LEW services
- Commercial MCSTs — office buildings, shopping malls, mixed-use developments.
- Residential MCSTs — condominiums, executive condominiums.
- Industrial premises — factories, warehouses, light industrial spaces.
- Building owners running their own installation (not via an MCST).
- Solar PV installations of regulated capacity that fall under the Building Licence regime.
What the LEW does for the licence-holder
- Maintains the Building Licence with EMA on behalf of the owner / MCST.
- Periodic inspections at the frequency required by EMA.
- Permit-to-Work issuance for any non-routine work on the installation.
- Switching and isolations for planned outages and emergency response.
- Review of contractor scopes before they touch the installation.
- Reports to the MCST council on installation health and recommended works.
- Incident response — present on site for any electrical incident or near-miss.
- Annual maintenance plan — switchgear servicing, protection relay verification, transformer maintenance, infra-red thermography.
- Renewal of the Building Licence at the prescribed cycle.
How the engagement works
- Installation handover. Where we are picking up an existing installation, we conduct a baseline audit — single-line, switchgear condition, protection settings, earthing, documentation.
- Defect register. Any safety-critical or non-compliant items are logged with proposed rectification.
- Licence transfer. Application to EMA to be named as the LEW on the Building Licence.
- Ongoing service. Periodic inspections, permit issuance, switching, council reporting.
- Renewal cycle. Licence renewal in line with EMA's schedule, including renewal inspections.
MCSTs and buildings we've served
- MCST 4111 · Oxley BizHub, Ubi Road 1
- Nordcom II · Gambas Crescent
- MCST 1399 · Peak Condo, Pepys Road
- Singapore Recreation Club · Connaught Drive
- MCST 2965 · The Areca Condo, Bunga Rampai Place
- MCST 2995 · Aspen Loft, Joo Chiat Terrace
- MCST 798 · The Cashew Park Condominium, Cashew Road
- MCST 4589 · Liv On Sophia, Adis Road
- MCST 3455 · Esta Condo, Amber Gardens
- Chancery Court · Dunearn Road
- Chuan Lim Building (with Solar PV) · Senoko Drive
- Hi Metal Enterprise · Tuas West Avenue
- Mega Metal (with Solar PV) · Tuas Avenue 20
- Calpeda Asia Pacific · Gul Street 1
Frequently asked questions
Can our existing contractor be the LEW?
Only if a member of the contractor team holds a personal LEW licence of the right class. The LEW is a personal licence, not a company licence. Most MCSTs find it cleaner to engage an independent LEW separately.
What happens if there's an electrical incident?
The LEW is the first point of contact with EMA and is required to investigate, report and rectify. Carrying that responsibility with a competent and insured external LEW is exactly why the role exists.
How does pricing typically work?
Most engagements run on an annual retainer covering routine inspections, permit issuance and council reporting, with separate rates for project work, incident response and out-of-hours switching. Quoted to your installation after the baseline audit.
Do you provide LEW services for solar PV?
Yes. We've taken on Building Licence LEW for installations including solar PV at Chuan Lim Building and Mega Metal. Solar PV adds DC-side considerations to the LEW remit — string isolation, anti-islanding, periodic IR scans on combiner boxes.