Monday, 23 Oct 2017 -  THE time has come for the Government to strongly consider setting up a special committee or task force to evaluate the safety of all construction sites in the country.

There have been many accidents on construction sites in the past few years, hurting or killing not just workers but passers-by as well. Last year, for example, two people were killed when a static crane at a construction site in Jalan Astana, Meru, Klang suddenly collapsed and fell onto their car.

All these incidents, including the latest tragedy in Penang, require immediate and proactive response by the relevant authorities to ensure safety at construction sites is in line with the existing regulations and standards.

Stern action should be taken against any person, whether employer or employee, who take the safety issue lightly or for granted under the Malaysian Penal Code (Act 574) and the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA) (Act 514).

The issue of safety should be given top priority at all construction sites as it affects not just the workers inside the site but also the public who are innocent bystanders.

DR MUZAFFAR SYAH MALLOW

Faculty of Syariah and Law

Universiti Sains Islam Malaysia

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2017/10/23/safeguard-both-workers-and-the-public/#7OoWxYRZRG4mALIj.99

Monday, 21 Aug 2017 - JOHOR BARU: Employers should not give any excuse in not sending their workers for safety training provided by the National Institute of Safety and Health (Niosh).

Its chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the body was looking seriously into the incident whereby two workers sustained injuries at Petronas Refinery and Petrochemical Integrated Development (Rapid) in Pengerang.

“We are taking this matter seriously and waiting for a full report from Johor Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH),” he said.

He urged all those involved in Rapid and other development projects in the state to use the services provided by Niosh to create awareness on safety and health.

Lee said this after officiating at the Safety and Health in Schools programme at Niosh southern region office in Taman Teknologi Johor here.

He pointed out that even though there were many other recognised training providers, industry players must make Niosh their preferred Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) partner that had a comprehensive list of training modules by experts in 15 branches and offices nationwide.

Lee stressed that as a training provider agency, which was recognised by the authorities, Niosh was willing to help developers and contractors involved in creating awareness on OSH at construction sites.

“This also includes training their employees in OSH field either at the southern region office or the newly opened Niosh satellite office in Pengerang,” he said.

He added that within the first seven months of this year, Niosh southern region had carried out 852 courses involving 16,653 individuals while its satellite office in Pengerang did 54 courses with 1,095 participants.

In the 3pm incident, a group of workers were in the midst of lifting a pipe to more than 3m above ground when a rope that tied the pipe suddenly snapped.

The pipe then crashed on to a platform, causing two workers who were standing there to fall due to the impact.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/08/21/no-excuse-for-not-sending-employees-for-safety-training-says-niosh/#MhDzG8qAZXd7V2Fb.99

Monday, 27 Nov 2017 - JOHOR BARU: The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh) has introduced a new practice that could prevent potential loss of hearing due to noise at the workplace.

Its deputy director Kormain Mohd Noor said that checks showed that over 7,100 workers’ hearing have been affected at the workplace last year and the numbers have been on the rise over the past few years.

He said the Prevention through Design (PtD) concept prevented accidents in safety and health management at the workplace.

“We are working with experts from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia to conduct research in the application of the PtD concept for industries here.

Kormain added that PtD was not an entirely new concept as developed countries such as Australia, the United Kingdom and the United States had implemented it a decade ago.

The concept focuses on design, thus companies can reduce noise from early stages when designing designated areas for machineries.

This will also ensure that employers abide by noise regulations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, he said.

He noted that employers could be fined up to RM50,000 or sentenced to two years imprisonment or both if they fail to adhere to the regulations.

A total of 19 employers have been charged in court over the issue, with fines amounting to RM94,000 in addition to 1,700 notices and orders issued last year, he added.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2017/11/27/dosh-introduces-new-concept-to-prevent-loss-of-hearing/#mzUlJjx3gcyEyHAL.99

Saturday, 11 Nov 2017 -  KOTA KINABALU: The 5th Borneo Occupational Safety and Health Conference and Exhibition (BOSH 2017) will be an effective platform for participants to share information and exchange views on how to further enhance Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) to spur their business competitiveness, in a more challenging landscape.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the conference’s goal was to nurture a culture of accident prevention by all parties, especially employers and employees.

“I hope that this effort will reduce the rate of accidents at workplaces in Sabah and Sarawak in particular,” he said in a statement.

Speakers from government departments and the private sector would explore topics including OSH management system, OSH Masterplan 2016-2020, social security protection and the importance of OSH in the industrial development in Sabah and Sarawak.

Lee said the conference would help increase the knowledge and skills of about 500 participants on OSH aspect so that they could practice it at their workplaces.

OSH practitioners who join BOSH 2017 would get 15 points from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) under the Continuing Education Programme (CEP) while those from the construction sector would receive 20 points under the Contractor Continuous Development (CCD) programme initiated by the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB).

NIOSH, through its regional office in Sabah, chose Kota Kinabalu to host the biennial conference this year after it was held in Kuching in 2015.

The first time Kota Kinabalu hosted the conference was in 2009 and BOSH has since become a household name within the Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines East Asean Growth Area or BIMP-EAGA.

Lee said the conference would also involve participants from government departments and agencies, small and medium industry as well as individuals keen to learn about the latest issues on OSH.

"OSH service providers as well as manufacturers and suppliers of related products will also showcase their latest products at the exhibition area,” he added.

The conference with the theme “Enhancing OSH for Business Competitiveness” will be officiated by Sabah Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Industrial Development Minister Datuk Seri Raymond Tan Shu Kiah. — Bernama

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/metro-news/2017/11/11/a-platform-to-enhance-occupational-safety-and-health/#OgIzsQZJPhmZVOGK.99