DOSH Prosecutes 47 Cases of OSHA Violations in Q1 2021

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) prosecuted 47 cases of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA) violation involving workplace accidents in court between January and March 28, 2021. 

Human Resource Deputy Minister Datuk Awang Hashim said the court had resolved some of the cases while others were still ongoing. As of now, a total of RM740,400 in fines had been collected. 

He said DOSH also issued 159 compounds valued at RM770,500 for numerous offences against rules in all employment sectors in Malaysia.

The deputy minister said the compounds and fines were to educate contractors and employers to take employee safety seriously. 

On SUKE incident

Mentioning the March 22 incident at the Sungai Besi-Ulu Kelang Elevated Expressway (SUKE), Awang stated the government and the parties involved are working to reduce the risks of accidents. 

The accident caused the deaths of three workers, and a civilian was seriously injured.

"We take this matter seriously. We need to protect the workers and civilian from incidents that should not have happened, which is why we ask the 14 firms involved with SUKE to discuss and solve this issue."

He said that the accident was the culmination of six previous accidents that began in 2018. DOSH issued directives to all SUKE project packages to stop work promptly so that employers could self-inspect their workplaces. 

The deputy minister said the employers involved must declare their complete satisfaction with the workplaces' OSH aspects before they can resume work. 

The SUKE project was scheduled to complete by the end of 2021, but the completion date is likely to change as the project is currently on hold. 

Employers must ensure the safety of the employees and the public.
 

OSHA Violation

He said that DOSH is still investigating the cause of the CA3 package incident. He added that if it found any OSHA violation, DOSH will bring those responsible to justice. 

If convicted, the guilty party will receive a maximum fine of RM200,000, or five years of imprisonment, or both. Awang also said that the government is in the process of amending OSHA 1994 to enhance the OSH aspects in this country. 

He said that one of the proposed amendments is to increase the maximum fine from the current RM50,000 to RM500,000. 

The importance of OSHA

The deputy minister highlighted that it is the employers' responsibility to ensure a safe, healthy and risk-free workplace for employees and the public. It has been clearly defined in OSHA 1994.

He said that developers, designers, and contractors are tasked to ensure the health and safety of every premise and their activities. 

Awang said repeated accidents at construction sites give a negative sign of safety performance and harm public confidence in the construction industry. He called for employers to play their roles in the OSH matter. 

"We want to restore the public's confidence in the construction industry. I also call on company leaders to be on the ground more regularly to ensure that the OSH in their respective companies is in the best state," he said.

Source: The Malaysian Reserve

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