By Dorcas Ting
KAPIT, March 7: The Sessions Court here fined a logging company RM30,000 for failing to ensure the safety of transported logs, which resulted in a fatal accident, and for neglecting to report the incident to authorities.
Sessions Court Judge Musyiri Peet imposed the fine on the company, represented by its representative, after it pleaded guilty to three charges. The court also ruled that failure to pay the fine would result in a 20-month prison sentence.
For the first charge, the company was fined RM20,000 or eight months in prison, while the second and third charges carried fines of RM5,000 each, with an alternative of six months’ imprisonment.
The first charge was framed under Section 15(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994, which requires employers to ensure workplace safety. The company was found guilty of failing to secure logs on a transport vehicle, leading to the death of a Malaysian worker.
The offence was committed on September 15, 2022, at around 7.30am in Belaga.
The second and third charges were filed under Regulation 5(1)(a)(aa) and (b) of the Occupational Safety and Health (Notification of Accidents, Dangerous Occurrences, Occupational Poisoning, and Occupational Diseases) Regulations (NADOPOD) 2004.
Under these provisions, employers are required to immediately notify the nearest Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) office about workplace accidents, which the company failed to do.
The prosecution was led by Sarawak DOSH prosecuting officer Devyclay Pius. — DayakDaily
