Beware of work risks, says Niosh

Star: PETALING JAYA: The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) wants workers to examine the risks related to their jobs in conjunction with World Health Day for Safety and Health at Work today.
The International Labour Organisation has chosen the theme “My Life, My Work, My Safe Work – Managing Risk in the Work Environment” for the international campaign promoting safety and health at work.
“Some industries are inherently more hazardous than others. Workers must respect and apply measures designed to protect them from occupational hazards,” Niosh chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said.
Nonetheless, Lee said employers were responsible for building and maintaining a safety and health culture that addresses prevention, hazard identification, risk assessment and control, information and training.
“Groups such as migrants and other marginalised workers are often more at risk as poverty frequently forces them into unsafe occupations. The Government, employers and workers’ organisations should conduct awareness-raising activities for employees,” he said.
According to Socso, costs related to occupational safety and health came to more than RM900mil last year due to compensation, lost working time, interruption of production, training and medical expenses.