Industrial accidents down, community mishaps up

TAWAU: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye has urged schools and colleges to set up their safety committee.

He said it was important to ensure that students were aware of the dangers around them and how to avoid accident risks at their school or college.

“If there is a committee, there has to be training to apply the skills in the guidelines, risk assessment and risk control in all the activities carried out at school or college,” he told reporters after attending the launch of the Occupational Safety and Health In School programme at the Vocational College, here yesterday.

Lee, who is also Malaysian Crime Prevention Foundation vice chairman, advised the public to constantly be vigilant for their security.

“Various forms of crime have been reported recently and this should set the alarm for everyone to avoid becoming a victim,” he said.

Earlier in his speech, Lee said NIOSH was well prepared to create awareness of safety and health in schools including vocational colleges through ‘OSH in School Programme’ as an early exposure to students before they join the workplace.

He said it would be a pilot voluntary programme introduced by NIOSH which does not involve any financial from the Malaysia Education Ministry.

He hoped the government and private agencies as well as the Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) should step out to help in this integrated programme.

Lee said the level of safety awareness was still inadequate and accidents were still happening around. Thus, NIOSH has taken the initiative to enhance the safety awareness either at the industrial sector or educational sector.

Ten years ago, industrial accidents have dropped from 63,423 cases (in 2002) to 35,907 cases (in 2013), about 40 per cent reduction. It was a positive expansion which should be emulated by other industrial operators.

However, community accidents were quite worrying which increased to 27,671 cases (in 2013) from 18,387 cases (in 2002).

The ‘OSH in School Programme’ was launched at Vocational College here yesterday by Second Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching.

Meanwhile, Lee said the programme would be launched in other schools throughout the state, and in even in the whole country from time to time.

“NIOSH is playing a social responsibility in carrying out training, counseling, Research and Development (R&D) and disseminating information to the public, particularly the young generations.

“I hope safety awareness could always be a living culture that binds the young generation to reduce accidents that happen anywhere. Safety education should also be put in practice continuously,” Lee advised.

Touching on criminal issues, Lee, who is also the Malaysia Crime Prevention Foundation (MCPF) chairman, reminded the people not to just rely on the police or enforcement agencies in crime prevention, but it is a collective responsibility.

Indeed, the police have a major task in tackling crimes and their efforts should be supported by the people.

He said it was undeniable that many criminal cases had been reported in the print and electronic media, such as loss of children, stealing cars, snatching and so on.

“Everyone should be alert and keep away from being the victims of criminals,” Lee said.