Make OSH practice part of working culture, organisations advised

KUCHING: The nation’s industrial accident rate has been reduced to 21.9 per cent over 10 years, but more efforts should be put in to bring down the number further.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ( Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye believes that this is where the promotion and implementation of good Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practices comes in.

According to statistics from Human Resources Ministry, the industrial accident rate for every 1,000 workers was 5.16 cases in 2005, but it declined to 3.1 cases in 2014, and 2.81 cases in 2015.

Still, fatal accidents at construction sites and other workplaces over the years clearly are an indication that more should be done to prevent or minimise the incidence of such cases.

“The biggest challenge is not only to reduce the accident rate further, but also to make OSH a culture and a way of life in order to contribute towards an accidentfree work environment.

“It is the responsibility of employers and management to ensure that safety is more than just a priority in their organisations – it is also a culture,” Lee told reporters at Niosh Sarawak regional office here yesterday, stressing a core need to translate OSH knowledge into behaviour and practical application.

Similarly, he viewed innovation and innovative practices as playing a crucial role in improving the OSH landscape and shaping OSH management systems ( OSHMS) for the future.

Lee said the management responsible for health and safety at the workplace could change the attitude of employees towards OSH by allocating annual budget for safety training on OSH.

“Employees must recognise OSHMS as an integral part of business management and concerns for the bottom-line must be looked at with equal gravity with OSH issues at the workplace.”