Tuesday April 2, 2013

Expert: Contractors must ensure safety

PETALING JAYA: Contractors need to walk the talk when it comes to ensuring a safe and secure site for their workers and motorists, said occupational safety and health expert Capt (Rtd) Wan Hock Leong.

He said despite sufficient awareness about the issue, the reality was that some contractors do not practise what they support in theory.

“They claim that they have implemented safety measures and support safety in the workplace.

“But due to insufficient budgets, resources and support, the safety controls are just left to the safety officer on the ground,” he said in an interview.

Capt Wan, who is the managing director of an occupational safety and health company, stressed that a safe construction site was a responsibility which involved everyone from the project director to each individual worker.

Adding that there was no such thing as a “freak accident”, he said proper safety controls included pre-planning control measures through hazard and risk identification.

To improve accountability and responsibility, Capt Wan suggested that the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) make it mandatory for contractors to be briefed before project licences were given out.

Capt Wan reminded contractors that ensuring a safe construction site was in their best interests as a stop-work order, which was issued after a serious incident, would incur heavy financial costs.

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