Too many fatalities
AS the nation’s construction industry booms, safety for workers and the public pays the price.
On Aug 25, just a week shy of her 24th birthday, administration executive Joice Chin Khoon Sing was killed when a hook fell from a crane and landed on her car as she was driving along Jalan Raja Chulan in Kuala Lumpur.
On Nov 4, Abd Rahim Abd Rahman, 51, and his wife Nurhayati Rosli, 46, were killed after a piledriver collapsed and hit the car they were travelling in at Persiaran Astana in Meru, Klang.
Industry players are now trying to ramp up safety, prevent on-the-job mishaps and protect the public, who are now more vulnerable as construction sites move closer to public spaces.
Master Builders Association Malaysia president Foo Chek Lee said it was now working with the Construction Industry Development Board to accredit foreign construction workers in the country, who often start the job untrained.
“We want workers to have a targeted skill, so they don’t have to juggle between many separate tasks.
“It means that if you’re a carpenter, we will test you to ensure that you’re really qualified and skilled for the job.”
Foo added that it was also working to push for safety to be looked at “holistically” whereby safety aspects are weighed at the design stage itself.
“What happens now is safety aspects are only being considered during construction and not during the design stage,” he said, adding that safety was often snubbed as it was seen as an “extra cost”.
Institution of Engineers Malaysia president Tan Yean Chin said operators should have more safety training rather than relying on safety officers alone.
“Operators of each machinery must have targeted training because each machine functions differently, he said.
He added that the “two-envelope system” should be applied for all procurements during tender evaluations, whereby the technical proposal would be opened and evaluated first, followed by the financing proposal.
This quality-based selection system is to ensure that the contractors given the job have a good track record and not just the cheapest offer, said Tan.
He also stressed on the need to hire professional engineers for temporary works, as they could expertly endorse and support the construction process.
This includes the erection of site offices, tower cranes, and temporary structures for use by workers.
To tighten up loose ends, every stakeholder must play their part in observing safety, from the project owner down to the public, said Tan.
“Back then, structures were simpler and there are less work sites near to the layperson, but now if anything goes wrong, the public is at risk,” he said.
Meanwhile the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) deputy director-general (occupational safety and health) Omar Mat Piah said the body is now drafting guidelines to ensure that safety is considered from as early as the designing stage.
“This is similar to those in UK, Singapore, and Australia, whereby the developer, designer, and main contractor will be responsible to ensure that safety starts from the earliest point.
“Construction risks should be considered during the designing stage but what’s happening now is the main contractor is given the project at the later stage and must control the risks, and sometimes it’s difficult, not effective and expensive,” he said, adding that DOSH was waiting for public comments on the guidelines.