JOHOR BARU: The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) proposes that the government ratifies Convention 155 and Convention 170 of the International Labour Organisation (ILO) which is considered the basic standard for maintaining occupational health and safety of workers and ensuring the safe management of chemicals at the workplace.
Its chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the need to ratify ILO 155 and 170 was to ensure the safety and health aspects at work were recognised as basic rights as well as ensuring that workplaces were safe, healthy and free of hazards.
“So, I want to propose to the Malaysian government to consider ratifying these two conventions. If the government agrees, it means that Malaysia is ready to demonstrate its commitment in line with international commitments in the implementation of safe chemical handling,” he told reporters after opening the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) session on Chemical Spill and Leakage Response organised by the Academy of Safety and Emergency Care (ASEC) in collaboration with NIOSH.
To date only a few countries in Asia such as China, South Korea, Mongolia, Australia, Fiji and Kazakhstan have ratified Convention 155. No Southeast Asian country has done so.
Only 21 countries have ratified Convention 170, including China and South Korea. – Bernama