Lee urges safety, health training for teachers

SIBU: The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ( Niosh) is willing to train teachers in occupational safety and health ( OSH) to help make school environment safer.

This was announced by Niosh chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

“Provided that the teachers are interested to be trained and do not view it as additional burden, Niosh is willing to provide the training,” he told The Borneo Post when contacted yesterday.

Lee said: “Schools are places for education so there is a need to provide a safe and conducive environment for students and others at the premises.”

Dur i n g a r e c ent p r e s s conference after his speech during the Asian Conference on School Safety, at the Penang Chinese Girls High School, Lee had suggested for the Education Ministry to appoint safety officers in schools throughout the country, to better manage the safety and health of students and teachers.

He said schools with more than 1,000 teachers and students combined should have a qualified safety instructor who could share knowledge and give necessary advice on safety inside and outside the school.

“My suggestion to appoint safety of ficers in school was made as teachers may not be keen to be trained in OSH as they are already hard pressed to cope with their daily responsibilities.”

He also pointed out that there have been incidents inside and outside schools for instance, young students drowning when they went on picnics.

These incidents have proven that OSH education in schools should not be limited only to students but must also cover teachers and supporting staff .

In this regard, Niosh has o f fere d a s si s t anc e t o the Education Ministry to create awareness on safety and health in schools through the ‘ OSH in School’ programme in their effort to make schools a safe place to study and work.

“The OSH in school programme is not something new as the gove r nment h a s a l r e ady introduced similar programmes such as the School Health Plan and Safe School Project in 2002.

“For Niosh, schools are also regarded as a workplace for teachers and other staff and therefore they fall under the jurisdiction of Occupational Safety and Health Act ( OSHA) 1994,” Lee said.