Preventing workplace accidents and fatalities
ON DEC 13, a girder beam collapsed at a section of the Pan Borneo Highway in Pujut, Miri, injuring two workers — one seriously.
The incident which occurred at the multi-billion ringgit road project, connecting the capital, Kuching, to the northern part of Sarawak, is reportedly one of the most serious workplace mishaps in the country.
In a check on workplace accidents in the state in March this year, the Sarawak Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) found the construction industry had recorded 24 cases of on-site accidents, resulting in deaths, in 2018 (
The Department also recorded a total of 47 accidents, involving deaths, in the various industries during the same year.
According to DOSH statistics, from January to June this year, a total of 127 fatalities had been recorded for the various sectors throughout the country with manufacturing topping the list at 43 followed by construction at 33.
These cases — and many other industrial accidents which could have gone unreported — are only the tip of the iceberg, reflecting the urgency for a stricter Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) implementation and practicality.
People tend to be reactive and only concerned about accidents that involve them. A situation of sloganeering must be avoided where behind all the OSH banners and signages, the workplace hazards are not addressed and controlled. — Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, former NIOSH chairman
OSH sustainability
Former National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye opined that OSH was not only about the law and legislation as education, adoption and implementation are key to preventing workplace accidents.
“My over 27 years of work with NIOSH have been tremendously active in the job scope of training and consultation.
“Not only in peninsular Malaysia but NIOSH’s efforts, of which I was part, working with industries in Sarawak, providing proper consultancy, training and creating awareness for workers, have seen a gradual improvement compared to the