Niosh mulls starting OSH education in kindergartens
SIBU: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ( Niosh) is mulling introducing rudimentary occupational safety and health ( OSH) education in kindergartens.
Niosh chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye told The Borneo Post yesterday children should be taught OSH and it should start as early as at kindergartens.
“We believe that for OSH to succeed, you must develop an OSH culture.
“We are of the view that if young children were taught this basic safety concept, they will have a better understanding of OSH later,” he said.
He noted that OSH education in school is a very new subject.
“In fact, even teachers themselves are not fully aware of OSH in school,” he observed.
“When you talk about safety in school what immediately comes to mind is food safety, keeping out food poisoning in school, drugs, crime, bully and gangsterism.
“But they never think about school environment must be safe or teaching and learning.”
As an example Lee said wiring in schools, especially old schools which might pose grave danger of short circuit or electrocution.
“Teachers too must learn about OSH as when taking children for outings they must ensure that facilities that the children use must be safe.
“For example, when carrying out activities like camping and jungle trekking, teachers must ensure that the routes are safe.”
Niosh introduced OSH programme in schools a few years ago.
“But, only lately, we managed to get Ministry of Education to support us,” Lee said.
In the past, Lee said that they were merely doing pilot projects. With the permission of the school head, they would do programmes to explain what OSH in school was about and impressed upon the teachers that it was not only meant for students as teachers must also be aware of the importance of OSH.
The programme has proven beneficial in raising safety awareness among school communities.
According to Lee, the programme covers another dimension and views schools as a workplace, in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.
A school or an education institution is considered as a place of work, therefore, according to OSHA, employers have to make schools safe and healthy places of work for teachers, students, administrative and support staff as well as visitors, he explained.
We are of the view that if young children were taught this basic safety concept, they will have a better understanding of OSH later. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Niosh chairman