Employers urged to take workers’ safety, health issues seriously

MIRI: Employers must take heed of the safety and health issues of each worker and conduct various safety programmes for their employees.

In stating this, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye stressed that top management and employers must accept the fact that skilled workers are assets to the country.

He cited the Social Security Organisation (Socso) report that an average of 43 workers die per day last year from industrial accidents and non-communicable diseases (NCDs).

Lee said Niosh should also organise health and wellness programmes to curb this issue.

“If we have such programmes, it will help address all the NCDs issues besides learning how to keep safe at work.

“I am calling for the implementation of the occupational safety and health (OSH) management system at all places of work, including schools and educational institutions,” he said at the opening ceremony of ‘OSH Management System: Moving Ahead with ISO 45001’ seminar jointly organised by Niosh Certification Sdn Bhd (NCSB) and TM Tec Academy ( M) Sdn Bhd held here yesterday.

Lee said there must always be protection for workers so that they are able to work at a safe environment and employers should strive towards zero accidents at work.

According to statistics from Socso, the total number of accidents recorded in Sarawak were 4,487 (in 2012), 4,058 (2013), 3,824 (2014), 3,414 (2015) and 3,363 in 2016.

Furthermore, Lee said OSH management should always remain an integral part of the organisation, explaining that under the Occupational Safety and Health Act ( Osha) 1994, an OSH committee must be set up if any workplace has 40 workers and above.