Ensure safety and health at workplace, employers urged
Employers in Sabah have been advised to take measures to ensure occupational safety and health at the workplace.
Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Wilfred Madius Tangau said this would not only minimise the risk of accidents at the workplace, but also reflect good administration and management.
“I was made to understand that accident rates at the workplace in Sabah are quite high, therefore the level of awareness must be increased to ensure that these incidents will not be repeated.
“Employers must make the necessary preparations and and all quarters especially the employees must be aware of the legislation that is there to protect them,” said the Minister of Trade and Industry after officiating at a seminar on Occupational Safety and Health (Noise Exposure) Regulations 2019 which was organised by Chemclass Sdn Bhd here yesterday.
Tangau also stressed that there is a need to ensure all corporate bodies operating in Sabah practise a culture of keeping the workplace safe and a healthy environment for all.
“By doing this it will show investors that Sabah is a state that has good corporate management and that its human resource is not only skilled but has a high level of awareness on their rights especially on matters concerning their safety,” he added
Skilled human resource is a matter of concern for investors coming to Sabah which is being addressed through the various state and federal government agencies so that the state remains attractive to them, he said.
Replying to a question on how important is it for the industrial sector to be more aware of the risk of noise exposure, Tangau pointed out that when getting an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) done, noise was one of the criteria that would be looked at.
“When you have an operation that has the risk of noise exposure, then the investor would have to come up with the mitigation on how to reduce the noise level. “And in as far as the EIA is concerned, a project or operation is a go for as long as you are willing to pay for the mitigation to ensure that there is a tolerable level in terms of noise as well as safety gear for employees,” he said.
Tangau urged DOSH in Sabah to use social media as a means to increase awareness of occupational safety and health in the state.
“The first level is awareness. That is why I suggested to DOSH to upgrade its social media engagement as a means to increase the awareness. At the moment they only have Facebook page and I think they should have Twitter account and also be linked with all the industries.
“In my ministry we also want to do that to create awareness about industry. Not only about noise but the whole environmental concern because what happened in Sungai Kim Kim in Johor for example, is an eye opener to all of us. We are taking the necessary measures to ensure that this does not happen here,” Tangau said.