IPOH: The problem of loss of hearing among factory workers continues to dominate occupational disease and poisoning cases in the state, according to Perak Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh) director Dr Rabaayah Daud.
She said 96% or 695 cases out of 722 reported last year involved hearing loss.
“This year, there have been over 200 cases of hearing loss, mostly involving workers in the manufacturing sector. So far, it is still the main cause.
“Usually, it is caused by activities in the manufacturing sector like steel factories, which are noisy; factories which operate many machines; or old factories which cannot be controlled by engineering,” she told reporters at Perak Dosh’s Hari Raya Aidilfitri celebration here yesterday, Bernama reported.
She said Perak Dosh would always monitor the situation and make effort to hold awareness programmes with industries regarding the need to take care of the workers’ welfare and not expose them to noise.
On another matter, she said Perak Dosh had received a total of 883 occupational injury cases involving 20 fatalities, 33 cases of permanent disability and 830 cases of temporary disability last year.She said this year, 288 cases of occupational injury cases had been received, of which four were fatal, five permanent disability and 279 temporary disability.
Rabaayah added that 2,431 letters of instructions and 864 notices were issued while 77 offences under the Factories and Machinery Act 1967 were recorded, with compounds totalling RM264,500.
