Review

Working In Project Sites Without Due Regard To Safety

The construction and manufacturing industries accounted for 37% and 22% respectively of all fatal injuries investigated by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), the report said. This high number of occupational accidents is due to lack of safety culture and non-compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.

A REPORT in a local health and environment journal shows that the number of fatal occupational accidents in Malaysia has remained the same since 2009 despite the country aiming to reduce it by 20% by 2015.

The construction and manufacturing industries accounted for 37% and 22% respectively of all fatal injuries investigated by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), the report said. This high number of occupational accidents is due to lack of safety culture and non-compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.

It has also been reported that a total of RM7.01mil has been paid by the Manpower Department to foreign workers who involved in accidents at the workplace in 2014. I am not surprised.

Just behind my office, there are two high-rise buildings being constructed. Safety rules are not followed at all. Most of the time, the workers do not put on their safety helmets or vests. Most of them don’t even wear safety boots. The safety net which is supposed to catch falling objects has large holes in it while the fence to prevent unauthorised persons from entering the site has collapsed in many places.

On paper, every worker has to attend a safety briefing before they can start working. But who monitors them at the work site? There is no point in DOSH taking action and shutting down a work site only after an accident has occurred. Prevention is better than cure.

LIONEL PERERA
Port Dickson

News source: TheStar