Lee on a more effective way to reduce occupational diseases

SIBU: Intervention through engineering control can help organisations and companies reduce occupational diseases ( ODs) which have shown a marked increase in the country, says National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ( Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

He pointed out that engineering control is more effective and efficient to reduce ODs compared to administrative control and the use of personal protective equipment ( PPE).

Lee said the top three cases of OD were related to noise induced hearing loss (NIHL), musculoskeletal disorders ( MSDs) and occupational lung diseases (OLDs).

“As one of the research institutions in the country, Niosh could help suggest practical solutions to occupational health problems and ODs using low- cost but high-impact approach,” he said in a press release on health hazard control intervention approach and challenges.

Lee said under the 11th Malaysia Plan, Niosh had done a study entitled ‘ Exposure and Control of Health Hazards in Industry’, which had resulted in the development of 16 engineering interventions to help minimise occupational health problems in 10 specific sectors.

He added: “Some 120 companies had participated in the Health Risk Assessment ( HRA) where 16 interventions were developed, 30 publications published and 10 customised occupational health guidelines developed for the sectors.”

He observed that occupational health issues in the workplace had been and were still harder to tackle than safety issues because the former would normally manifest in a long period of time while concrete relation between the cause and effect was difficult to identify.

“While some cases of ill health are related to work activities, the causes for other illnesses may be less convincing.

“We must give similar attention to occupational health as how we deal with occupational safety aspect since there has been an increase in the number of cases over the years,” he said.

“We must give similar attention to occupational health as how we deal with occupational safety aspect since there was an increase in the number of cases over the years.”

On average, there was about 30 per cent increase in ODs reported to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health ( DOSH) every year.

“It could be attributed to the increased awareness in the industry to report occupational health cases at their workplaces. Undeniably, occupational health has now become a more significant issue in the industry,” he said.

According to Lee, determining occupational health hazards is complicated since many of the effects occurred commonly in nonoccupationally exposed populations.

“If employers understand the effects of health hazards, they will definitely abide by the law and carry out their responsibility to protect their employees,” he said.