Niosh ready to help create safety, health awareness in schools

SIBU: The National Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) is offering to help the Education Ministry create awareness of work safety and health in schools through the ‘OSH in School’ programme.

Niosh chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, said this was to make schools safe for studies and work.

“Over the years, there were reports of accidents in schools, involving teachers, students and staff arising from collapse of building structures, ceiling fans, goal posts, toilets and accidents in science laboratories involving the use of chemicals.

“Schools must be regarded not only as places to study but also workplaces. The programme to ensure safety, health and welfare for those at work is also geared towards protecting students against risk to safety and health in connection with activities of persons at work in school buildings, toilets, canteens, laboratories and school fields.

Niosh introduced a pilot programme to more than a dozen schools with sponsorship from corporate organisations.

Lee was asked to comment on the call by Second Deputy Education Minister Datuk Mary Yap Kain Ching that occupational safety and health knowledge be instilled as part of pre-school education.

Yap said such awareness among school children was to enhance the image, quality and excellence of learning institutions.

Lee said the government had introduced programmes such as the School Health Programme in 1967 and Safe School Project in 2002 that focused on improving health and making schools safe from social ills and negative external influences such as drug addiction, gangsterism and crimes.

But the ‘OSH in school’ programme covered another dimension that views school as a workplace, in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.

The working people were teachers, administrative and other support staff while the ‘others’ were primarily students affected by activities of the working people, he explained.

Applying OSHA to schools makes them safe and healthy for teachers, students and visitors.

Through the programme, Niosh hopes to recommend to schools the importance of good OSH management as a solution to problems related to work safety in schools.

OSH awareness should be extended to students and the public such as parents who visit the schools through OSH education, awareness, training and exhibitions.

Training and information dissemination ensured employees know the risk faced in the workplace and how to work safely.

“Apart from that, instilling awareness at an early stage is of importance in creating a safe and healthy workplace in school as well as prepare students to join the future workforce that emphasises safety and health at work,” he concluded.