On 2 September the Ministry of Education moved all government and private institutions under its purview, and under the Ministry of Religious Affairs, to home-based learning for 2 and 3 September. The trigger was the Pollutant Standards Index reading taken at 4.00pm on Tuesday 1 September, which showed air quality at a very unhealthy level.

The day after that, on 3 September, SHENA issued a Workplace Safety and Health Notice covering hazy conditions. If you employ people who work outdoors, or in buildings that are not sealed, it applies to you.

Where the Haze Is Coming From

This is transboundary haze. Satellite imagery from the ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre detected 514 hotspots across Borneo on 27 August, 1,734 on 28 August and 1,180 on 29 August. Smoke from those fires is carried to us on the wind, which is why conditions can change within a day and why they are outside anyone here controlling them.

What the Readings Mean

JASTRe publishes the PSI for Brunei-Muara, Tutong, Belait and Temburong. The bands are:

0 to 50 — Good
51 to 100 — Moderate
101 to 200 — Unhealthy
Above 200 — Very Unhealthy to Hazardous

Even in the moderate band, between 51 and 100, minor effects such as coughing, eye irritation and a runny nose are expected. That matters because moderate sounds harmless and is not, particularly for someone doing heavy work for eight hours in it.

Check the reading before each shift rather than once a day. Readings are published by the Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation at env.gov.bn and on its Instagram account, @jastre.bn.

What SHENA Requires

Notice 2026/WSHN/04, Workplace Safety and Health Precautions During Hazy Conditions, was issued on 3 September 2026. It applies to principals, employers, occupiers, self-employed persons and persons at work.

Its central point is that where work results in significant exposure to haze, this should be recognised as an occupational health and safety hazard and managed through your normal risk management framework. It is not a separate regime; it is the risk assessment you should already have.

Two duties are cited directly. Section 12(3)(a) of the Workplace Safety and Health Act, Chapter 277 requires employers, so far as is reasonably practicable, to take the necessary measures to ensure the safety and health of persons at work, including providing and maintaining a work environment that is safe and without risk to health. Regulations 3 and 4 of the WSH (Risk Management) Regulations require a risk assessment, and that foreseeable risks are eliminated or, where that is not reasonably practicable, controlled.

There is still no PSI figure at which work must stop, and that is deliberate. SHENA asks for a risk-based judgement rather than a number: as readings rise or advisories indicate heightened risk, workplaces are expected to apply progressively more stringent precautions, weighed against the nature of the work, how long people are exposed, the environment, and the health of the people doing it.

So the decision comes back to your risk assessment. Decide your own trigger points before you need them, and record what you decided and why.

Who Is Most at Risk on Your Site

The Ministry of Health advises that people with asthma, lung and heart conditions, pregnant women, children, the elderly and those with dust allergies reduce outdoor physical activity.

At work, add one more group: anyone doing sustained heavy exertion. Hard physical work means breathing more air, more deeply, through the mouth rather than the nose. The same air outdoors is a larger dose for a scaffolder than for someone walking to a car.

You do not need anyone’s medical history to act sensibly. Tell people what the reading is, tell them what to do if they feel unwell, and make it easy to say so without a fuss.

What to Do

Reduce the exposure before reaching for masks. A mask is the last line, not the first.

Move the work. Bring what can be done indoors, indoors. Postpone what can wait.
Cut the exertion. Shorter stints, longer breaks, more people sharing heavy tasks.
Use the cooler hours, provide rest breaks and keep drinking water available. Heat and haze together are harder than either alone, and SHENA points to its own heat stress guidance for this — 2025/NTI/07, 2023/WSHN/04 and 2024/IGN/01.
Keep indoor air cleaner. Close external doors and windows, keep ventilation and air-conditioning maintained, and where practicable avoid drawing in unfiltered outside air. SHENA also suggests air purifiers fitted with HEPA filters where reasonably practicable.
Watch visibility. Heavy haze cuts sight lines. Reversing vehicles, lifting operations and road work all get more dangerous before anyone coughs.
If masks are needed, they must be particulate respirators such as N95. A surgical or cloth mask does not filter fine particles. A respirator only works if it seals, which means it will not work over a beard.

A Short Checklist

Someone named checks the PSI before each shift
Your own trigger points are written down, not decided in the moment
Supervisors know they can stop or move work without asking twice
Workers know the symptoms and know reporting them is expected
Respirators, if used, are the right type and fit the person wearing them
Decisions are recorded, with the reading that prompted them

Conditions change quickly. What was moderate this morning may not be by the afternoon, so decide your triggers now, while nobody is under pressure.

Sources

SHENA — Workplace Safety and Health Notice 2026/WSHN/04: Workplace Safety and Health Precautions During Hazy Conditions, 3 September 2026
Ministry of Education, Brunei Darussalam — Implementation of Home-Based Learning (HBL) Following an Increase in the Pollutant Standards Index (PSI), 2 September 2026
Department of Environment, Parks and Recreation (JASTRe) — env.gov.bn, and @jastre.bn
ASEAN Specialised Meteorological Centre — Borneo hotspot counts, 27 to 29 August 2026
Ministry of Health, Brunei Darussalam — public haze advisory

Updated on 3 September 2026 to reflect SHENA Notice 2026/WSHN/04, Workplace Safety and Health Precautions During Hazy Conditions, issued the day after this was published. Originally published on 2 September 2026.