All stop .. A DOSH offficer putting up barricade tape during an operation at a construction site in Perak to monitor the safety aspects. – Photo courtesy of DOSH
Most of workplace incidents occur in SMEs, says Perak DOSH director
SAFETY in the workplace should be a basic requisite to enable workers and employers to perform their duties with peace of mind. Yet accidents are not uncommon, especially when occupation safety and health (OSH) is not prioritised or ignored.
Perak Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) director Dr Rabaayah Daud said there were 365 cases of work-related injuries for the first five months of the year, from January to May.
Of that figure, there were five deaths and seven workers who suffered permanent disability.
“The five deaths involved two workers at a quarry and one worker each in the agriculture, manufacturing and transportation industries,” Rabaayah said when met at her office in Ipoh.
In comparison, for the whole of 2022, the Perak DOSH received reports of 883 workplace injuries, 20 of them fatal, and 33 involving permanent disability.
The DOSH director said the department held regular events to raise awareness on workplace safety and health among employers and employees.
DOSH officers inspecting a silica sand mining quarry in Simpang Pulai. — Photos courtesy of DOSH
“Often, we discover that workers or employers are not aware of the hazards at the workplace until our officers go in.”
She said employers would usually give themselves a higher rating on the self-assessment test based on Occupational Safety and Health Workplace Assessment (OSHWA) checklist but workplace audits by the department officers usually brought these ratings down due to non-compliance.
“Only when we tell them, do they realise the number of hazards that pose a danger to their workers.”
Rabaayah said the majority of workplace accidents usually occur at small and medium enterprises (SMEs).
“This is because SMEs usually do not have enough health and safety training and allocate a low budget for such things. They lack resources and fail to adhere to the standard operating procedures.
“For years, DOSH has been carrying out various programmes for the SMEs but the accident rate is still high.
“If employers make OSH part of their processes, and appreciate its importance, accidents and health issues will definitely be reduced.” - Dr Rabaayah Daud
“The turnover rate at factories is high and employees who have completed the proper training often leave for better opportunities elsewhere.”
She said employers must incorporate OSH as part of their business practices and not see it as a burden.
“If they make OSH part of their processes, and appreciate its importance, accidents and health issues will definitely be reduced.”
Systems not in place
According to DOSH, most workplace accidents occur due to a lack of supervision during machine maintenance and workers bypassing procedural safeguards when wanting to complete a task quickly.
Poor work standards, no proper procedures or protocols, inadequate tools or equipment as well as inadequate worker skills and knowledge also contributed to these accidents, Rabaayah said.
Workers risk severe injury, even death, during machine maintenance and servicing if there are no proper lockout and tag-out procedures, she added.
She explained that in some cases, workers, who were unaware their colleague was performing maintenance on a machine, turned on the machine, with fatal consequences.
“The work system at such workplaces is lackadaisical, with lack of communication and the work control mechanism missing.
“On paper, the procedures look good but in reality, it is the total opposite.”
A DOSH officer inspecting an excavator that overturned and killed two people at a quarry in Simpang Pulai last April.
But accidents from machinery are not the only hazards on the job. The workplace environment can also pose a threat.
Rabaayah said 368 cases of occupational diseases and poisoning were reported for the first five months of the year.
“Majority of occupational diseases reported are noise-related hearing disorders, which comprised 92%, especially at the manufacturing sectors.
“The other diseases include musculoskeletal disorders such as back pain, carpal tunnel syndrome and trigger finger.
“‘These are related to ergonomics hazard at the workplace, mostly due to working posture.
“Other occupational diseases reported were tuberculosis in hospitals, whereby staff were exposed to patients with the disease, and cases of being exposed to chemicals or poison in the plantation and manufacturing industries.”
Rabaayah said last year, 722 cases of occupational diseases and poisoning were reported, with 695 (or 96%) occupational noise-induced hearing loss cases topping the list.
DOSH officers inspecting a confined space at a Tenaga Nasional substation in Manjung.
But employers who flout OSH regulations face action from the state DOSH.
Punitive measures by the department include issuing 202 letters of demand and 21 notices from January to May.
“Compounds were issued for 26 offences amounting to RM83,500 and 18 cases were brought to court, and the employers were fined a total of RM228,400.”
Last year, Rabaayah said 2,432 letters of demand and 864 notices were issued.
“Compounds amounting to RM264,500 for 77 offences were issued while 29 cases were brought to court and the employers were ordered to pay fines totalling RM358,000.”
Quarry dangers
Perak is home to many quarries, with 84 registered, and workers at these sites are exposed to greater hazards.
Rabaayah said since last year, five quarry death cases had been reported.
She said quarry operators were required to identify hazards, conduct risk assessments and determine control measures before the start of the operations.
She added that it was important for assessments to be carried out first, because if there were blasts occurring at the other nearby quarries, there would be bound to be tremors elsewhere.
There was a lot of risk involved working at a quarry as workers were exposed to possible landslides, vehicles overturning, dust, noise and issues pertaining to ergonomics.
A DOSH officer (wearing helmet) with a car service centre staff placing a workplace safety and health poster.
She said it was crucial to ensure safe working conditions at quarries before a task was carried out because even geological engineers wouldn’t be able to guarantee safety at the workplace.
“Just checking the structure alone is not enough. There is a need for drones and other sophisticated gadgets.
“Operators probably need to learn from those in other countries on how they implement safety measures at their quarries.”
Deadly confined spaces
She also gave examples of deaths occurring in confined spaces, where workers had inhaled poisonous gas.
Confined spaces could be storage tanks, silos, trenches, sewer and communications’ underground manholes.
“DOSH has issued the Industry Code of Practice for Safe Working in a Confined Space 2010.
“Failure of an employer to provide a safe work system and the lack of coordination among those responsible for executing work activities are among the factors contributing to such accidents.”
Liong says he fractured his ankle after falling down one level at a construction site in Johor.
She said it was mandatory for all employers to implement the industry code whenever work was to be carried out in a confined space.
The code lists stringent requirements for carrying out such work, she said.
“The code requires that the employer must test the air in the confined space using an authorised gas testing device to ensure the work environment is safe before allowing workers entry.”
She said many accidents at the workplace could have been prevented if all the guidelines had been adhered to – there were cases where workers had gone into confined spaces before these mandatory tests were done.
Rabaayah said she hoped all employers, employees and stakeholders would play their parts.
Efforts to ensure workplace safety and reduce the number of workplace accidents and occupational disease exposure were necessary, she said.
“Continuous improvement in OSH performance could increase productivity and enhance profitable business operations.”
Survivor tales
StarMetro spoke to two people who suffered injuries at their respective workplaces.
Dennis Liong Kun Ping, 50, a senior construction manager, said about 24 years ago, he fell one floor from a building that was under construction in Johor.
He said the incident was still fresh in his mind although it happened a long time ago.
“It was in 1999, when safety measures were not that stringent. I had gone to the eighth floor of the building to tie a lifeline (safety rope) from one end of the building to the other to protect my workers.
“While I was doing that, strong winds suddenly blew, causing me to fall.
“Thankfully I only fractured my ankle, albeit badly. I was conscious. I even called the ambulance on my own and managed to walk despite suffering from excruciating pain.”
Muhammad Nurqayyum is still recovering after an angle grinder fell on him in May.
Liong said in 1999, awareness of hazards and safety measures was poor.
“It was a painful lesson for me. I had gone there to ensure my workers would be safe but unfortunately, I ended up falling.
“After that accident, we made sure the safety aspects were in place for everything that we did,” he said.
Muhammad Nurqayyum Shah Nasharuddin Shah, 25, a plant nursery executive based in Gerik, Perak, said he had to undergo an operation in May after an angle grinder machine fell on him.
“I was doing some repair work on solar panels at my workplace on May 18.
“I was using a machine and it probably was not stable.
“Suddenly, it fell and cut my right calf.
“There was blood everywhere and I was immediately rushed to the hospital by a colleague.”
Muhammad Nurqayyum, who only started working there about a year ago, said he was still on medical leave and was undergoing physiotherapy.
“For some time I had to use a wheelchair, then I turned to crutches to walk after my leg was put in a cast.
“It was a traumatic experience, but I am glad it wasn’t anything worse,” he said.
