Firm gets notice for failing to ensure safety at workplace

JOHOR BAHRU: The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) in Johor has issued a notice to a construction company for failing to ensure safety at the workplace following the death of a worker who fell from the third floor while operating a forklift at the construction site of a shopping centre in the city on Friday.

Johor DOSH director Ir Dasuki Mohd Heak said the incident at about 10.30am occurred when a 50-year-old Pakistani worker was assigned by his supervisor to operate a forklift to carry out construction work on the third floor.

“The worker had completed moving a water tank to a site as directed and later drove the forklift near the south court on the third floor. The victim is believed to have lost control of the forklift which crashed into balustrade causing the worker to be thrown off the machine on the third floor to the ground level,” he said in a statement here yesterday.

Dasuki said the worker sustained serious injuries from the fall and died at the scene.

He said initial investigations found the victim was not a trained forklift operator and did not undergo any training on handling forklift safely.

The department had also stopped all works immediately to enable investigations to be carried out, he added.

“Johor DOSH issued a notice on the company for failing ensure a safe workplace and legal action will be taken if there were violations of regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 against the parties responsible. DOSH takes a serious view of every accident especially those involving workers, members of public or properties. All construction industry practitioners have been urged to step up the level of occupational safety and health to prevent accidents,” he said. — Bernama