OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORKPLACE TO BE MADE COMPULSORY

KUCHING April 5

Implementation of occupational safety and health (OSH) measures at the workplace will be made compulsory once the relevant regulations are enforced, Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh) deputy director-general Rasli Husin said today.

He said the industrial sector in developing countries, including Malaysia, still lacked awareness on the need to practise OSH, as stipulated by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention, compared to developed countries like Finland and Japan.

"At present employers practise OSH voluntarily based on the guidelines published by Dosh as preventive measures in case of problems related to workers' safety, health and well-being," he told reporters after opening a seminar on OSH here.

Globally, about 80 percent of the three billion workers work and live without having access to OSH despite several authorities such as the ILO and World Health Organisation having for decades emphasised the need for it.

Rasli said OSH also involved undertaking efforts to improve the working conditions and environment of workers, "which are assets to any organisation or business entity in the country".

"The management of occupational hazards and disease prevention is vital to enable workers to contribute to their maximum level during the duration of their service as any work-related accident could incur a financial burden on the employer and family members, and the Social Security Organisation," he added.

Meanwhile, Sarawak Dosh director Kormain Mohd Noor said the department had yet to receive any complaint on the management of OSH-related risks in Sarawak, which currently had 53 occupational health doctors, including 20 in Kuching.

April 5, 2007