CIDB accreditation a must for site supervisors and construction workers

GEORGE TOWN: Construction contractors can be fined up to RM5,000 if they fail to ensure the accreditation of their site’s supervisors and skilled workers.

Penang State Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) director, Faizal Abdul Hamid, said that the accreditation is compulsory under the CIDB Act 520 (Amendment 2011) to ensure that only qualified workers get the task of handling high-skilled jobs.

“CIDB takes this matter seriously, as anyone found in breach of the stipulated law can be fined,” he said during a briefing session and roundtable discussion on the state’s construction personnel development programme yesterday.

Faizal said that up till May this year, there were 42,000 registered construction workers in Penang. “A total of 218,414 skilled construction workers have been accredited nationwide, with 16,188 of them in Penang,” he said.

An accreditation from CIDB is a recognition that is given to construction personnel who are highly skilled and qualified in their field.

In a bid to get more construction workers to accredit themselves, CIDB is offering a reduction in course fees for its Skills Competency Assessment programme and Site Supervisor Accreditation programme.

“I urge the industry players to comply with the registration of construction personnel to enable CIDB to identify the existing and required number of personnel to address the industry’s labour imbalance issues,” he said.