Restaurant may operate if special precautions taken
The Star Online, 5 August 2013
A check by The Star on Friday showed that the council had already cordoned off the small road in front of the shoplots where Mun Choong Restaurant is located and the construction part had safety nets fixed as added precaution.
DESPITE some safety regulations not being complied with by contractors of an extension above the Mun Choong restaurant in Ipoh, the authorities have allowed the renovation works to continue.
The restaurant was also allowed to operate as long as it took the necessary precautions, said the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).
State DOSH director Dasuki Mohd Heak said detailed inspection of the project was on-going and further action would be taken after the department’s findings.
Among action that could be taken, he said, was issuing a compound or prosecuting the owners.
“However, it is clear that currently, the work does not comply with safety regulations.
“Due to that, we will consider issuing a compound or prosecuting the owners under the Occupations Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 after investigations are completed,” he told The Star.
On July 31, The Star had highlighted the public’s concerns regarding the renovations on the roof of the eatery, which occupied four three-storey shoplots on Jalan Pasir Puteh.
Business was still going on as usual during the renovations to construct a ballroom on top of the restaurant.
The council cordoned off the road in front of the restaurant following a meeting between its building department, DOSH and CIDB.
“Our initial inspection showed that the construction did not comply with a few safety regulations, such as the building having no hoarding and the catch platform being too small.
“Once our investigations are completed, we will issue the restaurant the necessary guidelines to ensure the regulations are complied with,” he said.
Dasuki said the restaurant could continue operating during the construction if special precaution was taken.
Meanwhile, the Ipoh City Council had cordoned off the road in front of the building last Friday following a meeting between its building department, DOSH and the Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) that day.
While the council had approved the building plan, there were too many safety issues regarding the way the construction was being carried out, said the building department officer.
State CIDB director Ismail Mat Nor said the board had sent its officers to inspect the site on July 25 following a tip-off from the council.
“Our officers noted that the workers were not wearing proper safety gear, which is a violation of safety regulations.
“We immediately issued a two-week notice to the contractor to provide us with information on their workers and safety measures.
“If the contractor fails to get back to us, we will issue a stop-work order,” he said.
