Materia Medica Malaysiana

Another health check for EPF staff: "PETALING JAYA: Staff at the Employees Provident Fund�s (EPF) microfilm unit will undergo another round of medical check-ups following reports that two of its employees at the unit have developed cancer.
EPF deputy chief executive officer (management and organisation development) Rusma Ibrahim said the staff would be sent to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) panel of doctors as additional precaution.
�The safety and health of our employees at the workplace is our first priority,� she said in a statement yesterday.
Rusma said the management received reports in October last year that a few employees of the unit were suspected to be ill and sent all staff in the unit to its panel of doctors.
�Two were diagnosed to be suffering from cancer. However, it could not be ascertained whether the ailment was work-related,� she said.
Rusma said Niosh conducted a health risk assessment of the unit on April 1 and June 13.
�The preliminary findings have been presented to the management and we are now waiting for the detailed report,� she added.
EPF discontinued all microfilming related activities in July as part of its plans to switch to newer technologies to manage and store records, she said.
A recent MTUC newsletter said most of the chemicals used in the unit were hazardous and employees were not provided proper protective equipment.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn said on Tuesday that Niosh had been told to investigate and would submit a report within a week. "