Consider a tax rebate for PPE

AT a time when Malaysia is emphasising industrial growth to provide more employment opportunities, greater attention must be given to safety at work and the use of the correct and good quality personal protective equipment (PPE).

While efforts are being made to improve the lives of the rakyat, let us take a moment to appreciate the backbone of our nation: our workers. Toiling throughout the day, these men and women take many risks to build a better future for all of us. As such, their safety and wellbeing are a national responsibility.

Implementing good occupational health and safety practices can ultimately save lives, especially in high-risk workplaces. Knowledge of the right type of PPE is key to promoting safer work cultures and reducing the risks of occupational hazards.

PPE is designed to protect workers from workplace injuries or illnesses resulting from contact with chemical, radiological, physical, electrical, mechanical or other workplace hazards. PPEs include a variety of devices and garments such as goggles, coveralls, gloves, vests, earplugs, respirators, safety shoes and others.

PPEs are often essential and are generally the last line of defence after engineering and administrative controls fail to reduce employee exposure to hazards. The Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 requires the use of PPE to reduce employees’ exposure to hazards in the workplace.

However, employers are complaining about the high price of imported PPE, saying that they are unaffordable. Hence many resort to buying cheaper products with lower quality which are not advisable for use as they can expose employees to occupational injuries and diseases.

I hope that employers will not compromise on the quality of PPE as they must adhere to the guidelines given by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health or at least meet Sirim Bhd’s standard requirements to ensure the quality of such products.

I would like to once again propose that the government consider granting a tax rebate for imported PPE to make them more affordable to employers and encourage them to acquire better quality PPE for their employees. Any such rebate will be an incentive that the government can provide to promote safety and health in the workplace. The Alliance for a Safe Community also calls on the government to provide incentives to local manufacturers to produce good quality PPE.

In Malaysia, occupational accidents and fatalities are not rare occurrences. In fact, occupational accidents per 1,000 workers are a matter of concern, with 2.4 in 2018 compared with 2.93 in 2017, 2.88 in 2016 and 2.81 in 2015. This calls for us to be vigilant about the safety procedures we currently follow as well as to be aware and educated about what we can do to avoid mishaps.

It should be the responsibility of the government to provide practical solutions in the field of occupational and health besides contributing to upgrading occupational health and safety to ensure that our workers have safe, healthy and conducive work environments.

Through sustained and continuous efforts, the government must create a “Vision Zero” mindset in Malaysia – Vision Zero is a global campaign to improve safety, health and wellbeing at work. With Vision Zero in place, we hope that all injuries and ill health arising from work will be preventable and zero harm will be possible.