Occupational safety regulations need to be implemented, says expert

Sri Lanka needs to implement strict regulations on occupational safety equipments, says Shayan Appuhamy, Professional Service Engineer Critical and Chronic Care Solutions Infection Prevention and Personal Safety Division, 3M Sri Lanka.

Speaking at a media round table discussion on ‘Occupational Safety’ at 3M Lanka in Dharmapala Mawatha last week, he said in Sri Lanka most workers are unaware of the international standards for occupational safety equipments. They use products without considering the standards – more concerned about the price of the equipment, he said.

Anything manufactured in Sri Lanka has to be certified by the Cosmetics, Devices and Drugs Regulatory Authority (CDDA) but for Personal Protective Equipments (PPE) there are no such measures, he said, noting that there are no proper regulations for safety equipment currently in Sri Lanka. He stressed on the fact that lack of knowledge on occupational safety and local standards are problems faced by the workers. There are no product standards, no correct guidelines, no safety regulations and no safety culture in Sri Lanka for occupational safety equipments.

Six out of seven injuries which occur in the occupational industry are due to health-related is- sues and only one is due to an accident. Accidents are seen most of the time but not the medical issues related to the job. Currently there is no data on occupational health-related diseases in Sri Lanka. “If Sri Lanka doesn’t have strict penalties or enforcement in place, it is very difficult to change the culture of Sri Lankans. There is need to have a safety manager for a workplace where there are more than 100 workers. Also there is a need to develop product standards and a regulatory body for Sri Lanka to regulate PPE. Occupational Safety has become prominent from the recent past due to the knowledge gained by the people with regard to the PPE and focusing on export oriented manufacturing,” Mr. Appuhamy emphasized. 3M Korea Technical Service Engineer for Personal Safety H.M Jung said, “There are some problems that safety managers and workers face in Sri Lanka such as selecting the wrong PPE, wrong size of the PPE and same PPE not matching everyone. Depending on the person one must consult a professional and get the right product in place.”

He also said that Sri Lankans have lack of knowledge in occupational safety equipments. The government has planned to build an institute to develop product standards and an institute to conduct research.

3M has a history of more than 40 years in PPE. Ear plugs and respirators were introduced in 1972. In 1980’s re-useable respirators were manufactured. Going beyond just selling products, 3M conducts training programmes for its customers covering all industries including manufacturing, transportation, garments, agriculture and mining. 3M also conducts safety audits, safety awareness training for customers, managers and workers, product training workshops, certain testing methods for customers and certification programmes.

(RM)