Never take safety for granted – Niosh chief
The BorneoPost Online, 15 October 2013
SIBU: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye yesterday called for stringent measures to be taken when holding funfairs.
“Before approval is given to the organisers, they must get respective approval from the authorities, including Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh).
“The equipment or machines to be used by members of the public, including children, must be checked by the relevant authority and in this case, I believe it is Dosh.
“This is because Dosh knows best on safety matters,” Lee told The Borneo Post.
Last week, a 19-year-old boy suffered head injuries after falling from a machine at a funfair in Sarikei, and was later taken to Sibu Hospital.
Lee said he was uncertain if the machines at that funfair had been inspected.
“The other question that comes to my mind is the whereabouts of the safety supervisors. They were supposed to have people there to keep an eye on the safety of the public when they enter into a machine that flew them up or took them to a certain height before coming down.
“People must buckle up like taking a ride in the car. In this case, how the boy had fallen down from the machine gave me the impression that he was not belted up.”
He added that safety should never be taken for granted, and organisers of such events had the duty of care to safeguard the safety of the public.
Meanwhile, Sibu police chief ACP Shafie Ismail confirmed yesterday that the injured boy’s father lodged a police report at Sibu Central Police Station at about 11am on Oct 11.
“We have referred the case to Sarikei police since the incident happened there,” Shafie said.
Ministry of Local Government and Community Development Permanent Secretary Datu Dr Penguang Manggil said all permit holders wanting to hold such kind of events must have public liability insurance.