Wednesday, 26 Jul 2017 - 

PASIR GUDANG: Some RM1.32mil in penalties and compounds was imposed by the state Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) on employers and contractors in the construction sector last year.

Johor Unity and Human Resources Committee chairman R.Vidyananthan said that about 40 employers were slapped with penalties amounting to RM995,500 for various offences under the Occupa­tional Safety and Health Act.

He said most were charged for failing to provide a safe workplace environment.

“Last year, 257 compounds were also issued to contractors for offences under the Factory and Machinery Act.

Vidyananthan said this after launching the state-level Occupational Safety and Health week at Eco Tropics Sales Gallery here.

He added that in the first half of this year, DOSH had issued 45 compounds following inspections at construction sites.

He also suggested that workers who fail to adhere to safety regulations at the workplace and cause a fatal accident should be held accountable.

Vidyananthan said that a check showed that DOSH had taken punitive action only against employers and not workers for the past five years.

“In my opinion, it is reasonable that individuals found to have been careless and who took an easy way out to carry out their duties in terms of safety should also be taken to court,” he said.

He added that 41 construction workers had died due to accidents involving machines or fallen objects at the workplace in Johor since 2010.

“Only last week, a worker was smashed to death by a hook block at a construction site in Gelang Patah.

“It seems that each accident at the workplace reflects the ineffectiveness of health and safety management,” he said, urging employers and workers in the construction sector to take proactive measures on the matter.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/07/26/better-safe-than-sorry-employers-in-johor-who-failed-to-comply-with-safety-measures-fined-over-rm1mi/#ypUgcPGWD2YmaihU.99

Tuesday, 27 Jun 2017 - PETALING JAYA: The underreporting of industrial accident cases will affect the effectiveness of the Government's medium and long-term plans to tackle the problem, said Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman said that was because the Government's plans would be drafted based on inaccurate data.

He said the number of accidents reported to the Social Security Organisation (Socso) and to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh) differed significantly by 97.49%, based on a study by researchers from Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

"The research shows that although 31.347 accidents in the construction sector were reported to Socso from 2009 to 2014, the number of cases investigated by Dosh was only 787.

He added that many accident cases in the construction sector were not reported by employers, especially non-fatal accidents or less severe cases.

The study entitled "Malaysian Construction Industry: Trends of Occupational Accidents from 2006 to 2015" was published in the latest Journal of Occupational Safety and Health 2016.

Lee said the lack of accurate data would have a negative impact on the safety and welfare of workers in the construction industry, which has the highest risk of fatality compared with other industries in the country.

"The victims or their next-of-kin would normally lodge a report with Socso in order to claim for the benefits after the occupational accidents had occurred.

"There is a possibility that accidents in the construction sector were much higher as most of the workers were foreigners, including those who had worked without or with expired permits.

“Socso's figures only cover those who have contributed to its fund and the data is incomplete since there is no available statistics on unregistered local and foreign workers in the country,” he said.

Lee stressed that a nationwide awareness campaign is necessary to urge all employers to report every single accident and near miss that have occurred at their workplaces.

He said many employers were unaware that it is compulsory to report such cases under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.

The construction sector recorded 751 deaths caused by occupational accidents from 2007 to 2016.

In 2016 alone, there were 2,880 accidents and 55 deaths.

The second highest number of deaths were recorded in the manufacturing sector (370), followed by agriculture, forestry, logging and fishery (337); transport, storage and communication (134); utility (81); mining and quarrying (64); financial, insurance, real estate and business services (55); public services and statutory bodies (30); wholesale and retail trade (19), and hotel and restaurant (6).

"Accidents and Occupational injuries are preventable through the implementation of good safety and health practices at the workplace. Niosh provides various training programmes that could help reduce such accidents, including in the construction sector," said Lee.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2017/06/27/lee-lam-thye-underreporting-hinders-efforts-to-tackle-industrial-accidents/#2hROdmGXShCbvu03.99

Saturday, 13 May 2017 - COMPANIES should provide data on accidents and safety at the workplace to promote a safer working environment, said National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) executive director Zahrim Osman.

Under the United Nations (UN) 2030 Agenda, the collection of health and safety data was very important for each country as it was in line with the development of a country, he added.

He said many companies in Malaysia did not give NIOSH the necessary data, which disabled it from conducting research to improve safety and health at the workplace.

“It is not a requirement for companies to provide the data but we will advise it, so that we can focus on workers’ rights and prepare a safe and healthy working environment, including at hazardous working places.

“Currently, we rely on Socso (Social Security Organisation Malaysia) and the Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) for accidents at the workplace.

“We hope this will change and more companies will approach us,” Zahrim said after launching the World Day for Safety and Health at Work seminar at Menara NIOSH, Bangi.

He was joined by NIOSH Consultation, Research and Development Department general manager Fadzil Osman and NIOSH Education and Training Department and Regional Offices general manager Major (Rtd) Hanif Maidin.

Zahrim added that Socso statistics for 2015 showed 62,387 accidents were reported. These were classified as industrial accidents and when commuting between home and workplace.

“What is alarming is that accidents when returning home or going to the workplace increased by 65.3% in 2015 compared to 2005.

“In the world, it is estimated that about two million people are killed in accidents or diseases at the workplace each year.

“DOSH statistics last year recorded 3,348 industrial accident cases that caused temporary disability with 114 cases causing permanent disability and 240 cases in death.

“The Government needs to work hard to ensure that our roads, transportation and work areas are safe for all,” Zahrim said.

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/metro/community/2017/05/13/data-helps-keep-workplaces-safer-collection-of-statistics-important-to-identify-risks-and-hazards-sa/#OdxHMtCuvJGyRssA.99

Wednesday, 19 Apr 2017 -  The tragic incident has again raised concern over the safety of workers in confined spaces which include storage tanks, tankers, boiler rooms, silos and other tank-like compartments with a manhole for entry and exit.

Other confined spaces include pits, pipes, sewers, tunnels, shafts, ducts and any shipboard space where entry is via a small manhole, cargo tanks, cellular double-bottom tanks, duct keels and oil tanks.

Hazards in confined spaces include poor air quality; chemical, biological, radiation and fire hazards; extreme noise and temperature; low visibility and process-related hazards such as residual chemicals.

Those working in a confined space have to exercise great care and concern because it is more hazardous than regular work sites.

Workers who are injured or lose their lives are a loss not only to their employers but also the country as they are important contributors to economic and social development.

In the latest incident, where two men carrying out maintenance work in a manhole in front of a mall in Ipoh were overcome by sewer gas, causing them to suffocate, both the utility company and the contractor must be investigated to check whether they adhered to the rules and regulations stipulated by the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.

They have to ensure that the workers were certified to enter the manhole and whether they followed the guidelines in the Industry Code of Practice (ICOP)

for Working in a Confined Space 2010.

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has worked with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) to set up the national standards for safety in work involving confined spaces, whereby a permit will be given to competent persons.

Workers who plan to enter a confined space must have the Authorised Entrant and Standby Person (AESP) for Confined

Space certificate while the person who supervises their activities must obtain the AESP and Authorised Gas Tester and Entry Supervisor for Confined Space certificate.

Only those who have the certificates from approved training providers, such as NIOSH, are allowed to carry out work in confined spaces.

ICOP is legally binding and must be adhered to by all industries and parties involved in confined work spaces.

Under ICOP, every employer and contractor must conduct a risk assessment in relation to the safety and health risks posed to any person who may be affected by his undertaking, and take all reasonably practicable steps to eliminate any foreseeable risk.

Working in a confined space can expose a person to risky situations that can cause diseases or accidents, leading to injuries and, worse, death.

In most cases, the cause of death is due either to inhalation of toxic gases or oxygen deficiency.

Employers who fail to provide safe and healthy working environments for their employees can be charged under Section 15 of the OSHA, which carries a maximum fine of RM50,000 or two years’ jail or both.

Under the Act, “employee” includes an independent contractor engaged by an employer, or a self-employed person and any employee of the independent contractor.

According to DOSH, the main reason for accidents in confined spaces is the sub-contracting of work to contractors who do not have knowledge and experience working in a confined space.

These contractors normally do not have proper work procedures and equipment for working in a confined space.

Since the work to be done is not routine or regular, the persons involved are normally contract employers with poor safety induction.

Few or none of the standard safeguards would have been provided to them; safe practices and procedures would be neglected; and persons with basic first aid and CPR skills would not be available when needed.

To prevent accidents and fatalities in the future, only those with the certificate of competency issued by a DOSH-registered training provider should be allowed to work in confined spaces.

TAN SRI LEE LAM THYE

Chairman

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health

Read more at https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2017/04/19/working-safely-in-confined-spaces/#P0V7qGQC2GqcY7yx.99