Employers, workers urged to comply with OSH regulations
BINTULU: Employers and workers should comply with occupational safety and health ( OSH) regulations and good practices to help reduce the increasing number of accidents at workplaces, particularly at construction sites.
In giving this reminder, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said among the things that need to be given special focus is training for those who carry out high-risk jobs such as in confined spaces and working at height.
At the same time, he reminded that proper use of suitable personal protective equipment ( PPE) is necessary to prevent injuries and deaths in the event of an accident.
He said the Department of Occupational Health and Safety ( DOSH) has already introduced the Industry Code of Practice for Safe Working in a Confined Space 2010, which provides guidelines to prevent exposure to hazards that may occur during work.
“Various incidents reported by the media including passing out, injury, illness or death arising from exposure to the hazards in confined space, such as a septic tank, can be avoided if they follow the code of conduct,” he said when opening a back-to-back seminar on OSH management at Advanced Technology Training Centre (Adtec) Bintulu yesterday.
The two-day seminar attended by 250 participants is a collaboration between Niosh and 3M Malaysia Sdn Bhd.
The seminar is divided into six slots; namely Working safely in confined space by Elmer Sabelino; Confined space rescue WAH practical and demonstration ( Elmer); Sohelp programme introduction ( Dosh); Protecting you from what you can’t see ( Myo Kyoung Joo); Hearing conservation and protection (Sherlyn Voon) and Be seen, be safe (Sherlyn Voon).
Lee said all parties must play their roles effectively since preliminary figures issued by the Social Security Organisation ( Socso) showed that the total number of occupational accidents
Various incidents reported by the media including passing out, injury, illness or death arising from exposure to the hazards in confined space, such as a septic tank, can be avoided if they follow the code of conduct.
had increased five per cent to 69,980 cases last year from 66,618 cases in 2016.
“A total of 924 deaths were also reported last year, comprising 257 industrial accidents and 667 commuting accidents,” he told a press conference later.
He pointed out the statistics also showed an increase of 6.4 per cent in the number of commuting accidents in 2017 compared with 2016, and more worryingly, he added, there was a 20.46 per cent increase recorded within five years from 2013 to 2017.
He also said industrial accidents had increased by 3.84 per cent to 36,661 cases last year from 35,304 cases in 2016, which also showed an increase of 2.12 per cent in 2013 to 2016.
Lee, however, was satisfied with the level of OSH awareness at the workplace in Sarawak.
The number of industrial accidents had decreased by 16 per cent last year to 2,374 cases and the number of commuting accidents had decreased by 15.7 per cent to 799 cases in 2017 from 948 cases in 2016.
He hoped the good performance will continue and urged all government agencies including the private sector to continue playing their role towards reducing the number of occupational accidents.
“Niosh Sarawak is ready to organise more programmes which can benefit the workers in Sarawak. I hope this seminar would not just give the 10 Continuous Education Point ( CEP) points to the participants but it is also an effort by Niosh towards helping to reduce occupational accident cases,” Lee said.
He reminded that under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 it is the duty of every employer and self- employed person to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health and welfare of all employees while at work.
“Good OSH practices should be made a lasting culture at the workplace and not just a priority as the latter can change depending on the situation,” he said.
Lee also reminded that total health is not possible without good mental health, especially with regard to the workforce.
“I believe that there is a need for all safety training institutions to include the aspect of good mental health education to help benefit our workforce so that they will have good mental health to enable them to perform their work well and help minimise accidents at the workplace,” he said.
He further said starting this year Niosh has introduced a programme known as the total health wellness awareness programme with input from Ministry of Health, which will be marketed to all its clients and industries to enable Niosh to organise the programme at their workforce.
He thanked 3M Malaysia for its contribution in helping to promote OSH in the country.
“3M and Niosh will further discuss our areas of cooperation and how we can complement one another to reach out to the workforce to promote OSH,” Lee said, adding that Niosh is ever ready to work with any organisation that can help to complement its effort to reach out to the workforce.
Also present were Niosh Bintulu regional manager Mohamad Anizan Mohammed Amin, 3M Malaysia head of Government Affairs and Markets Khairul Azhar Abdul Karim, Adtec Bintulu director Nasaruddin Mohammad and 3M Malaysia Bintulu sales manager Ethan Tan.
Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Niosh chairman