Malaysian workers’ health deteriorating: Richard Riot - New Straits Time Online
New Straits Time Online, 25 August 2015
KUALA LUMPUR: The country is facing new challenges in the deteriorating general health of its workers, despite the rate of occupational accidents having reduced significantly, said Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem.
He said commuting accidents was escalating while poor health among workers was alarming.
He said for the past 10 years, the occupational accident rate in the country had fallen from 5.84 per thousand employees to 3.10 per thousand employees.
“Therefore, it is timely that the safety of workers and their health should be looked at comprehensively as a single entity, no longer segmented as what is currently practised,” he said in his speech for the launching of the Social Security Organisation’s (SOCSO) Accident Prevention Seminar, here today.
The text of his speech was read out by Deputy Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Abd Muttalib.
Riot said communicating occupational safety and health matters needed creativity and innovation from various angles.
“The government through the Ministry of Human Resources fully supports organisations and always cooperates with all interested parties in occupational safety and health programmes, regardless of whether it is on the international scale, local or even at your own workplace,” he said.
Speaking to reporters afterwards, Ismail said towards this end (improving workers health), eligible workers should make full use of the Health Screening Programme introduced in 2013 by SOCSO.
He said to date, only 430,000 vouchers out if the 2.1 million issued for the purpose had been utilised.
The programme involves an allocation of RM200 million. --Bernama
