Developers told to put up clear warning signs, barricades

KUCHING: Developers and contractors must place suitable and clear warning signboards and barricades in strategic locations to prevent vehicles from entering high-risk areas.

Chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said developers and contractors must implement the best work and health occupational practices at construction sites and work areas to prevent accidents involving workers and the public.

Among others, he said, they should apply the concept of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control (HIRARC) which will help workers and supervisors identify hazards and risks and find ways to prevent them.

“Concrete barricades must be set up in the affected work areas if the project requires a long period of time to be completed.

“The authorities concerned must also carry out safety audits to ensure that the work areas or construction sites do not pose a danger to the workers and public,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Lee was commenting on an incident when Dina Dzulkarnain Asan, 29, died after the motorcycle he was riding plunged into a manhole which was undergoing maintenance at Jalan Tun Abang Haji Openg near Padang Merdeka near here yesterday monrning.

The victim was the son of the deputy president of the Sportswriters Association of Malaysia (SAM), Asan Ahmad Ibin.

“Even though the government has enforced the laws, the responsibility of implementing the safety system in construction sites is actually on the contractors and sub-contractors.

“They are in a position to manage the problem better,” he said.