KUCHING, Oct 11: The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) is reminding employers and employees to abide by existing laws and regulations about safety and health in order to reduce the rate of accidents and occupational disease at workplaces.
Its chairman Datuk Wilson Ugak Kumbong in a recent press statement said negligence and the attitude of taking things lightly were among the factors which led to workplace accidents.
He added the excitement of reopening businesses following new relaxation given by the federal government could not be seen as an excuse to neglect all existing instructions, orders and guidelines.
“The dangers posed at workplaces are getting more challenging, not just the tangible risk but infectious diseases like Covid-19 which is intangible could also cause accidents.
“In the excitement of resuming economic activities, it is the responsibility of all parties be it employers or employees to ensure safety and health aspects are top priority.
“In the midst of rushing to reopen certain industries, it could lead to negligence with regards to safety and health compliance,” he said.
Ugak thus said it is a shared responsibility for all employers and employees to follow the existing laws and regulations with regards to workplace safety and health.
Those laws include the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, the Factories and Machineries Act 1967, the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) Act 1994, Petroleum Act (Safety Measures) 1984 and so forth.
On another note, Ugak said the announcement by Prime Minister Dato Sri Ismail Sabri Yaakob on September 29 that the Klang Valley has transitioned into Phase Three of the National Recovery Plan (NRP) and new relaxation was given has provided relief especially for employers to plan for reopening their businesses.
He added the efforts of the country to battle Covid-19 will also be supported by the National Covid-19 Immunisation Programme (Pick), the Public-Private Partnership Covid-19 Industry Immunisation Programme (Pikas) and Pick Remaja.
Hence, Ugak said Niosh viewed the immunisation programme positively as it is important for the safety and health of workers besides preventing Covid-19 infections at workplaces. — DayakDaily
