Annual safety audits on schools necessary, says Niosh chairman
SIBU: The government is urged to conduct an annual safety audit on schools in the country, in particular those more than 10 years old to identify hazards that can pose a danger to students and teachers.
National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said this was crucial so that the relevant authority could act on to repair any such hazards. “Over the years, these older schools have had their fair share of accidents inside the compound and teachers along with students are exposed to all forms of danger.
“What I would like to suggest here is that the government or authority concerned conduct an annual safety audit on schools, particularly those more than 10 years old at least once every two years.
“If a safety audit is conducted, it will help to identify problems in the school, for instance wiring hazards that can cause shortcircuits and subsequently fires.
“These audits can look into the condition of the play fields, classrooms, toilets and all parts of the school so that they will not pose a risk or danger to students,” he told thesundaypost yesterday.
This is why Niosh’s Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) in school is all the more relevant, he opined.
He explained that safety in school is not only confined to issues of health, food safety, drugs, crime and acts of immoral behaviour, but more important is the fact if the school has better understanding of OSH issues.
Schools are regarded as a workplace, in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Osha) 1994, he added.
“A school or an education institution is considered as a place of work and therefore, according to Osha, employers have to make schools safe and healthy places of work for teachers, students, administrative and support staff as well as visitors,” Lee pointed out.
He also noted a recent disclosure by Minister of Education, Science and Technological Research Dato Sri Michael Manyin in his winding up speech on Friday that 70 per cent of 1,454 schools in Sarawak had been categorised as dilapidated and in need of immediate attention from the authorities.
Now, of the 1,020 schools concerned, 415 were categorised as being in critically dilapidated condition.
Sarawak has 190 secondary schools and 1,264 primary schools.
Reacting to this, Lee said it was indeed appropriate for Sarawak to have a state minister to take charge of education so that he could give more attention to education and schools.
“The federal minister – I think he does not come to Sarawak that often. I think it is a good idea to have someone from the state to monitor the situation.
“We believe our campaign on OSH awareness will help teachers and students to pay even more attention to the condition of the schools.
“It is important that students are able to study in a conducive environment, but that can’t happen if the state has so many dilapidated schools which require urgent attention,” Lee reckoned.