PETALING JAYA: The Occupational Safety & Health Act (OSHA) was amended in March 2022, which aimed to enhance safety standards and mitigate workplace accidents and health risks at the workstation.
Former member of Parliament, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, said the OSHA Act greatly benefits employees, especially those who were working in industrial and construction industries.
“The act ensures that employers fulfil their duty to provide a safe and healthy workspace for their employees.
“Non-compliance with the legal requirements would cause employers to be penalised. And in the case of injury or death, the Department of Safety and Health (DOSH) has the right to put a pause on work.”
He said employees are also given mandatory hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk control (HIRARC) training to understand workplace safety.
Lee said there has been an improvement in workplace safety and health since the implementation of the act. “Over the past 30 years or so, I have observed that the number of industrial accidents and fatalities have been reduced, even though the number of employees has increased.
“There has also been almost RM3 billion saved annually on medical expenses or human resource productivity because of having safer working environments.
“But what I wish to see practised is a perfected zero accident policy, which means zero preventable accidents in the workplace. We must make occupational safety and health a culture instead of a priority.”
The 2022 amendments to OSHA Act affect small and medium-sized industries because it requires businesses that have five or more employees to appoint an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Coordinator, Chin Yew Sin, the Head of Training & Consultancy for Alliance for a Safe Community, said that authorities must condition the market or inform impacted parties before enforcement begins.
“To prevent further outcry and facilitate a smoother implementation, we must promote OSH Coordinator appointments, share success stories, and highlight the benefits through various channels to help raise awareness.”
There has been a significant surge in demand since the amended Act was gazette, and it is expected to increase manifold once it is enforced.
Therefore, it is crucial to ensure the availability of an adequate number of training providers to meet this escalating demand. If such demand is not met and businesses do not comply with the amended Act, consequences for violating the law include a maximum fine of RM 50,000, imprisonment for up to six months, or a combination of both depending on each particular instance.
Alliance for a Safe Community wishes to address the urgent safety needs in sectors such as manufacturing, commuting, and construction by providing support to companies facing innate occupational hazards.
Therefore, it launched an initiative to offer 100 small companies the opportunity to participate in a three-day training programme to help qualify individuals as trained persons in OSH coordination.
This valuable three-day programme is worth RM68,000 and is accredited by the DOSH which aims to help and support people facing financial difficulties, especially in the aftermath of the pandemic.
Qualifications will be determined by workforce size of fewer than 100 employees and financial viability such as low profitability, limited access to credit, or cash flow constraints.
A higher priority will also be given to small companies operating in higher-risk industries.Furthermore, the Alliance for a Safe Community has introduced a value-added program called “Ikatan Total Solution to OSH-C,“ which provides extra coaching sessions that are chargeable.
The extra programme consists of participants receiving one-to-one, or small group coaching sessions in their workplaces. Its personalised approach is a unique way of learning and aims to help assist participants in internalising the learning and effectively applying it in their workplace.
Seats for the programme are limited and will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.
To join and benefit from the OSHC training programme, small companies that meet the criteria are encouraged to contact tnc.ikatan@gmail.com for further information. Ikatan office Tel. +603 -21100236.
