Materia Medica Malaysiana

New draft on workplace air quality out in two weeks

PUTRAJAYA: The draft regulations governing indoor air quality at workplaces will be ready in two weeks.
Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn said officers from the Department of Occupation Safety and Health were still in the process of getting input from employers on the draft.
“The employers have given us their feedback on the first draft, which was ready some time ago. This will be the second draft.
“At first, the employers will be asked to comply with the regulations voluntarily. But we hope to make these enforceable within a year or two.
“It’s important for us to see how the adoption of the regulations will take place at working premises, then we will be able to make modifications if need be.
“Employers will need to adjust to these guidelines during this time,” he told reporters after the weekly Cabinet meeting here yesterday.
Dr Fong stressed that the guidelines did not necessarily mean that smoking would be banned at workplaces.
“But if the employers can somehow maintain indoor air quality according to the international standards contained in the guideline, then it should be all right,” he said.
The regulations will stipulate what constitutes quality indoor air in office buildings.