Concern grows over worksite fatalities

JOHOR BARU: Safety at construction sites, especially high-rise buildings, have become a major concern with 11 deaths recorded last year and another six fatalities in the past four months.

Many of the deaths were due to falls, said Johor Occupational Safety and Health department director Omar Mat Piah.

“Last year, 10 deaths were due to workers falling while this year, we have recorded five such cases so far,” he told reporters after launching a “Fall Prevention Campaign” at a construction site in Taman Sutera Utama here yesterday.

The department had noticed an increase in the construction of high-rise buildings over the past few years, which could be a factor in the number of worksite fatalities.

“We identified over 600 active construction work across the state and 75% of the sites are based in Johor Baru, where most falling accidents take place,” he said.

Omar added that a slew of safety programmes and campaigns had been introduced to reduce such fatal incidents, including actively engaging developers and main contractors to create a safer environment for workers.

The department would also conduct regular checks at sites to ensure that developers and construction companies adhered to occupational safety rules and regulation.

“If the sites are deemed unsafe for work, those in charge could be served with stop-work orders until the problem is rectified,” he said, adding that the department could also impose a fine or even charge the companies involved in court.