Riot leads national delegation to OSH world congress
KUCHING: Minister of Human Resources Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem is leading Malaysia’s delegation to the XXI World Congress on Safety and Health at Work, which is being held at Marina Bay Sands, Singapore from Sept 3 to 6.
It will be a platform for Malaysia to engage with and emphasise on workplace safety that brings positive impact to working conditions, productivity, economics and social development.
With over 4,000 participants from 100 countries expected to attend, the congress offers a platform for the exchange of information and views for government ministers, corporate leaders, experts in occupational safety and health and employer and worker representatives.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Human Resources accompany him, according to Riot’s ministerial office in Putrajaya through a press statement yesterday.
During the congress, Riot is making intervention supporting the Asean Labour Ministers’ Joint Statement on Improving Occupational Safety and Health for Sustainable Economic Growth. In addition, he will also be reflecting on Malaysia’s Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2016- 2020, and active role played by Malaysia in implementing the AseanOSHNET Plan of Action 20162020 and ratification of the Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 2006 (No.187) on June 7 2012.
Meanwhile, the Serian MP is also expected to hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts to discuss issues of mutual concern and interest.
Riot will also be undertaking a visit to the Ministry for Manpower of the Republic of Singapore and Workforce Singapore. He will make his first official trip to the Ministry for Manpower and will be received by its Minister, His Excellency Lee Swee Say. He will be briefed on the management of foreign workers.
He will also make a visit to Workforce Singapore which encourages continuous training frameworks across diverse industries and job matching.
The visit to Singapore is expected to improve bilateral ties and enhance strategic cooperation in the labour sector.
“This visit is a personal invitation from his counterpart from Singapore, His Excellency Lim Swee Say, to attend the said congress. The Occupational Safety and Health Division, Ministry of Manpower, Singapore, as the national host, in conjunction with the International Labour Organisation and the International Social Security Association, are organising the XXI World Congress on Safety and Health at Work 2017 in Singapore,” the ministry said.
The congress which is being hosted for the first time in SouthEast Asia, started in 1996 in Madrid, Spain.
Singapore is also the present Chair of the AseanN-Occupational Safety and Health Network (Asean OSHNET).
It is expected for the first time, all the Asean Labour Ministers will gather at this congress and issue an Asean Labour Ministers’ Joint Statement perpetuating a national preventative safety and health culture to improve their national safe-workplace performance systematically, and provide a health standard with appropriate enforcement to protect workers.
The congress opens its doors every three years. Each time, a different country is chosen to host. The motto of the XXI World Congress is ‘A Global Vision of Prevention’ and the congress will cover three important topics: Vision Zero – From Vision to Reality; Healthy Work – Healthy Life; and People- Centred Prevention.
“Vision Zero aims to inculcate a mindset that all injuries and ill health arising from work are preventable. Healthy work – Healthy Life is an integrated approach where employees and employers work together continuously to sustain, protect and promote each other’s safety and health in the workplace.”
“People- Centred Prevention is to build inclusive workplaces for OSH to thrive, for components such as demographic changes, ageing, gender, culture and education. The congress is expected to adopt the ASEAN Labour Ministers’ Joint Statement on Improving Occupational Safety and Health for Sustainable Economic Growth,” the statement said.