DOSH aims for 20pc drop in workplace deaths

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: The Department of Occupational Safety and Health has set a target to reduce industrial fatal accidents by 20 per cent in four years.
Accident cases and occupational diseases are two other areas in which it hopes to see a reduction.
Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) director-general Zainuddin Abdullah said it hoped to realise the target through more inspection of industries, promotional activities and occupational safety and health (OSH) practitioners.
"We plan to increase inspection by 100 per cent, promotional activities by 200 per cent and OSH practitioners to 10,000."
At present, there are some 20,000 factories in the country.
In Malaysia, seven per 100,000 workers are involved in occupational fatalities compared to the International Labour Organisation’s standard of three per 100,000. There were 69,132 industrial accidents reported to the Social Security Organisation in 2004, with 846 deaths and 9,381 workers suffering permanent disability.
Zainuddin said the accident rate at the workplace was decreasing due to the rise in OSH awareness among industry players.
However, he said compared to multinationals, the implementation of OSH management among small and medium enterprises was still lacking.
"OSH risk management is an essential element in any business and needs to be managed systematically. Lack of risk control will lead to industrial accidents, dangerous occurrence, occupational diseases or even occupational poisoning to people at work."
Zainuddin said DOSH had also started exploring the "Decent Work" concept for workers.
The concept is about whether employers are capable of providing a suitable environment for labour.