Borneo Post Online, 26 November 2012
SIBU: Safety procedures seem not observed and practised in construction sites despite the many signboards advising workers to adhere to stringent safety and health practices erected outside the sites.
A spot check by enforcement officers from Social Security Organisation (Socso) last week exposed the shocking truth at a construction site here, where occupational safety and health (OSH) practices were neglected, while the workers were not covered by Socso scheme.
Despite being categorised as a high risk industry, workers, including women, working in construction sites were seen toiling without personal protective equipment (PPE) such as safety boots, hard hats, safety harness and others.
The glaring lack of OSH practices contravenes Section 15(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 (Act 514), which states “It shall be the duty of every employer and every self-employed person to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health and welfare of all his employees”.
This had prompted National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye to call on enforcement authorities such as Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and Socso to mount more spot checks at construction sites.
He described the safety signage erected outside construction sites as nothing more than paying lip service to OSH practices.
“Surprise checks will give a real picture of what is happening inside the construction sites. The findings from the spot check (at a construction site here) showed that this is a common occurrence in construction sites. They put up safety signs but what goes on inside is a different story altogether.
“The safety practices are very poor and enforcement authorities should beef up surprise checks to nab those failing to comply with the OSH requirements. Otherwise, safety will continue to remain a lip service,” Lee told The Borneo Post yesterday when asked to comment on the observation made at a construction site here.
Based on nationwide statistics (Occupational Accidents By Sector) until September this year obtained from DOSH’s website, nine workers from the construction sector suffered permanent disability (PD) while 48 deaths were recorded throughout the country during the same period from the same sector.
“There have been far too many accidents at construction sites nationwide, and this is certainly not good for the image of contractors and developers,” Lee elaborated, lamenting that safety had not become a culture in the industry.
Meanwhile, the surprise check at the construction side also noted a pool of water, planks and discarded polystyrene lunch boxes as well as nails strewn around.
Lee described this as a case of poor housekeeping, saying that the puddle of water could breed the deadly Aedes mosquitoes which transmit the dreaded dengue fever.