By DayakDaily Team
KUCHING, Aug 12: Hock Seng Lee (HSL) has implemented a company-wide response aimed at protecting employees from the effects of the current hot and hazy weather, with conditions expected to remain challenging as El Niño continues this year.
According to a press release today, the initiative involves HSL’s Safety, Health and Environment Department, Human Resources, building management, retail operations and staff canteen services, reflecting what the company described as a coordinated approach to employee welfare and workplace safety.
HSL Safety manager Charles Lee said the company was closely monitoring official health and safety guidance while ensuring compliance with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health’s (DOSH) Guidelines for the Protection of Employees Against the Effects of Haze at Workplaces.
“During periods like this, our safety personnel must communicate closely with Human Resources. We must also pay careful attention to Ministry of Health recommendations and comply with DOSH guidelines,” he said.
Lee added that employees with respiratory conditions or other health concerns were encouraged to minimise outdoor exposure and, where practical, work indoors or adjust their activities accordingly.
He said supervisors had been instructed to monitor conditions closely and take appropriate measures as the situation evolved.
At HSL Tower in Samarahan, the company is relying on its centralised air-conditioning and ventilation system to help manage indoor air quality. The Green Building Index-certified complex is equipped with air-quality sensors throughout its 10-storey office tower and adjoining mall.
Senior Building Operations officer Clinton Jawa Richardly said the building management team continuously adjusted the amount of outside air entering the premises based on prevailing conditions.
“We are continuously adjusting the outside-air intake. We can control how much air is drawn into the building, and all incoming air passes through the building’s filtration system,” he said.
According to Clinton, technicians monitor carbon dioxide levels, humidity and temperature in real time through the Building Management System and make adjustments to air intake, return-air supply and chilled-water temperature when necessary.
The team aims to maintain indoor carbon dioxide levels at around 600 parts per million (ppm), well below the 1,000ppm threshold identified by DOSH as the upper limit for adequate ventilation.
“Our aim is to maintain good ventilation while limiting unnecessary intake of hazy outdoor air. If CO2 levels begin to rise, we can increase the outside-air intake. It is a balancing act between maintaining adequate ventilation and reducing the amount of polluted outdoor air entering the building,” he said.
The outside-air intake for both the tower and adjoining mall has currently been reduced to between 10 and 20 per cent, depending on conditions.
Meanwhile, La Promenade Mall Admin and Leasing Officer Sutiana Jesut said the building’s systems were providing shoppers and tenants with a more controlled indoor environment during the haze period.
“We have noticed that our food and beverage tenants are preparing for more lunchtime customers. All our eateries are indoors and air-conditioned, so we expect more people may choose to stay inside during the hotter and hazier periods,” she said.
HSL’s Human Resources Department has also encouraged employees to remain within the building during meal breaks.
Corporate Communications manager Jennifer Tang said the company’s subsidised staff canteen would increase food preparation to accommodate higher demand.
“All HSL employees and mall tenants enjoy subsidised food at the staff canteen. Since we are encouraging people to minimise unnecessary outdoor exposure, we will also prepare more food there.
“These are simple measures, but they can make a practical difference. The aim is to look at every part of the company and ask what we can reasonably do to help with the situation,” she said.
HSL is also preparing contingency plans in the event deteriorating conditions lead to school closures or other government measures.
“We must remain flexible and respond to conditions on the ground. If the situation changes, our measures will change with it,” Lee said. — DayakDaily
