Niosh: Set up safety audit to monitor works by contractors
All local authorities should set up safety audit units to help check on works being carried out by contractors and subcontractors concerning the construction and repair or maintenance works of public infrastructure involving roads and public areas. Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Niosh chairman
SIBU: All local authorities should set up safety audit units to help check on works being carried out by contractors and subcontractors.
In making this call, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ( Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye lamented that far too often, contractors or subcontractors involved in road works for improvement or repairs of infrastructural facilities show scant regard for public safety.
“All local authorities should set up safety audit units to help check on works being carried out by contractors and subcontractors concerning the construction and repair or maintenance works of public infrastructure involving roads and public areas,” he said in a media statement yesterday.
According to Lee, roads which are barricaded for construction work are not brightly lit at night and there are also insufficient safety signages to warn road users.
Potholes are a common sight outside the barricaded area and they pose a danger to the safety of numerous motorists and motorcyclists who ply these roads daily, he added.
Lee recalled in December last year, a motorcyclist was killed after the motorcycle he was riding on skidded and plunged into a one-metre- deep hole of an ongoing flood mitigation project in Kuching.
“Earlier, in April last year, a female teacher lost control of her car and plunged into a sewage works hole. There were also several incidents of such nature.
“These potholes and craters are sometimes covered with water and cannot be seen, risking the lives of road users. In many cases, when a hole is dug in the road for the installation of sewer pipes or other purposes, workers do not pay much attention to the safety measures.”
He noted that more than often, flimsy barricades were placed around the work site while there are inadequate safety signs, adding some contractors also use unstable plastic barriers rather than those made from concrete.
In this regard, Lee called for the setting-up of a dedicated safety audit unit by each local authority to monitor and ensure that contractors and subcontractors involved adhere to the safety guidelines.
While contractors have to buck up and put their act together, local authorities must also be sensitive to pothole-riddled roads and take quick action to repair them without having to wait for public complaints, he added.
“What is regrettable is the manner most utility company contractors carry out road digging works and leave the road badly resurfaced after completing their works.
“When road works commence, the contractor also has the tendency to occupy as much space of the road. The work site is messy and very often, warning lights are not installed at night.”
He pointed out that during the rainy season, these worksites pose a danger to the public and accidents have occurred due to the lack of safety measures to warn motorists of the work in progress.
“While I appreciate the fact that pipe and cabling work has to be done from time to time to provide utility services or rectify certain problems, the utility companies have a responsibility to ensure their contractors are responsible and give utmost attention to public safety and health.”