Occupational safety awareness
New Straits Times, 27 August 2014
Occupational safety and health officers are monitoring construction sited and checking on workers' safety
JOHOR BARU: THE number of fatal accident cases at construction sites in the state has risen by about 50 per cent, compared with last year.
State Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) director Omar Mat Piah said: “The latest statistics (from January to August) show that the number of construction workers involved in fatal accidents stand at 42, which marks a sharp increase from last year where there were 28 fatalities.
“Most of the fatalities involved either objects dropping on victims or victims falling from a height,” Omar said at an occupational health and safety talk at the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) in Bandar Baru Uda, here.
He said there had been about 700 accident cases at construction sites in the state so far this year, which is approximately the same number recorded for the whole of last year.
Omar said they were intensifying various programmes to promote workplace safety awareness.
He said occupational safety and health officers had also been designated to monitor construction sites and check on workers’ safety and equipment provided by the employer.
He said 31 companies which had failed to adhere to safety regulations at the workplace had been taken to court.
Pasir Gudang MP Normala Abdul Samad, who has 32 years of experience in the industrial sector, said she hoped that the various programmes organised by JKKP would raise work safety awareness and lead to a decrease in the number of accident cases at the workplace.
“It is learnt that a huge amount of money is involved when a company provides safety equipment and attire to workers.
“As an MP, I take this issue seriously and will bring it to parliament soon. I will suggest to the government to exclude the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for the purchase of safety equipment and attire in the 2015 Budget soon.
“This will reduce the cost to be borne by companies and workers will get a safer environment at their workplace,” she said after launching a roundtable discussion on health and safety at work for the engineering and construction sector in the state-level work safety and health programme.
Normala also praised the department’s initiatives in promoting workplace safety awareness. She said all workers were protected under the Occupational Health and Safety Act 1994 and Factories and Machinery Act 1967 which were enforced by DOSH under the Human Resources Ministry.
Normala handed six plaques to participants in the state-level Pertandingan Reka Cipta Bina.
