Safe and Healthy at Work

By: Raveena Priya

2013-121747

Topic: Ministry of Human Resources


The recent fatal accident at a low-cost housing project in Kampung Sungai Sering, Bukit Antarabangsa, Selangor, which claimed the lives of three foreign workers, is a stark reminder to all those involved in the construction industry not to take workplace safety for granted.The Indonesian workers fell to their death from the 13th floor of the low-cost flats when the gondola they were in tilted and slipped. According to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, the workers had brought up cement with them on the gondola. The maximum weight it could carry is 350kg but with the workers and the cement in it, the gondola was overloaded and gave way.


                                   

Workplace related accidents in Malaysia have continued to rise, with 57,639 cases reported in 2010 compared with 55,186 in 2009 reported New Straits Times newspaper. Malaysia's work-related accidents are considered high, taking into account the number of workers we have.Ours is a small nation with a relatively small population. This means we have a small number of workers.A staggering two million people have died from workplace-related accidents worldwide over the last 17 years, while another 1.2 million were injured and more than 160 million workers fell ill due to unsafe, unhealthy and unsuitable workplaces during the period and the figures are still increasing!

 

                                             

The safety of workplace is one of the most essential issue that cannot be taken lightly because even it's only a minor accident, it may cause a serious and a huge effect to the organization. The construction industry has been one of the foremost components of Malaysia's economic boom, enjoying impressive growth rates in the past. Although we are pleased with the sector's continuous growth, we cannot take pride in its safety record. There is still room for improvement.


                                              


 The workplace accident occurring during the daily operations results in no win situation. So, when an accident occurs, it should always be promptly reported to the office of Safety and Health to ensure that immediate action could be taken by the organization other than the organizations taking matters on their own hand or delaying to treat the worker medically. It is essential for the employers and contractor involved in the construction industry to be sensitive to such problems.Further inspection could be conducted to identify the factors causing the accident and the way on how to prevent it from occurring in the future.

Security practices in construction site is crucial at this point. The adoption and implementation of safety measures at construction sites by experienced and trained employees. Occupational safety and health management must be practiced at all levels of the construction industry. This is because workers that have high level of safety and health awareness are able to conduct their work effectively and efficiently.Furthermore, there should be more safety talk done by the company to give more education for the workers about the importance of safety. The safety talk should be meaningful to all workers to learn and equipped them with safety knowledge.When they truly understand about the importance of safety in the workplace, this will help to reduce accident in the workplace.

                                                 

Workers should have proper training in handling the machinery. This is because lack of training indicated that workers are unable to perform their work well. Company provide proper training for all their worker as for the permanent and also contract workers.As we know, training will make workers more competent in doing their jobs. Company should not exclude training as it is important to the workers in establishing their working skills and also to provide good work that will produce greater income for the company itself.




                                               
Accidents of this nature are avoidable if all safety procedures and instructions are strictly followed by workers at their work sites. The spate of accidents due to poor safety management of construction sites must be addressed urgently. Those responsible must learn from the past and be prepared to avoid such accidents in the future.Accidents such as the collapse of scaffolding at construction sites, resulting in injuries and damage to public property, are matters which must not be taken lightly.




Reference:

Retrieved 20 October from http://www.nst.com.my/

Retrieved 20 October from http://www.nst.com.my/nation/general/mtuc-workplace-accidents-increasing-1.78735

Retrieved 20 October from http://www.dosh.gov.my/index.php?lang=en

Retrieved 20 October from  http://www.mohr.gov.my/index.php/en/