Lee: Tourism sector employers should make safety training a priority
KOTA TINGGI: All employers in the tourism industry have been urged to provide security training and prepare a comprehensive emergency plan to safeguard their staff, tourists and members of the public in case of accidents at their premises.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said every worker in the tourism industry should be given adequate training so that he or she knows how to identify risks and handle them based on the “HIRARC” (Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control) concept.
“Employers need to conduct safety and evacuation training as part of the occupational safety and health (OSH) management plan to ensure workers are prepared to face any kind of emergency,” he said after launching the Johor tourism sector Occupational Safety and Health seminar and dialogue here.
In the tourism industry, Lee said employers could help raise the level of OSH in various ways, such as providing safe premises, activities and itinerary, a good transport system and driving training to avoid accidents.
He stressed that training and education were the key elements in OSH management as they contributed to safety and health at the workplace.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, the responsibility to safeguard OSH was shared by employer, employee and the government.
To make OSH culture a practice, he said employers should implement an effective management system to prevent accidents or occupational diseases from happening at work.
“Many employers are not aware of the importance of OSH and this can lead to accidents, injury or death. There are also employers who are not willing to invest or spend on OSH,” he said.
The half-day seminar was jointly organised by NIOSH and Southeast Johor Development Authority.