KUALA LUMPUR: The growing number of deaths and injuries related to the construction industry is troubling. In 2018 alone, the industry recorded the highest number of deaths across the nation’s economic sectors.
Social activist Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said the Occupational Safety and Health Department’s (DOSH) statistics recorded 169 deaths and 3,911 accidents in the construction sector for 2018.
“The rate of fatality per 100,000 workers in the construction sector is 13.44 in 2018, as compared to 14.57 in 2017.
“The health and safety performance of the Malaysian construction industry certainly leaves much to be desired,” the former Chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health told New Straits Times.
He said that Malaysia’s Fatal Accident Rate (FAR) was not only 10 times worse than that of the United Kingdom but had in fact deteriorated by 20 per cent since the turn of the century, according to a Construction Industry Development Board report.
Lee who is also Alliance for Safe Community (Ikatan) chairman urged all stakeholders to step up efforts so that such tragedies do not recur.
He said the partial collapse of the apartment under construction in Taman Desa which had trapped two construction workers was a reminder to this.
Lee said authorities could start by making its reports public in the interest of accountability, transparency as well as to create awareness.
“The public often hears about investigations being carried out by the authorities after a major accident but the findings are not made known. At the end of the day lessons, be they preventive or remedial measures, remain unlearnt.”
He said that frequent accidents at construction site also do not speak well for the stakeholders’ safety performance.
“Moreover, it will jeopardise public confidence towards safety in the construction industry. Site safety supervision must also be stepped up.”
Lee said developers and contractors must also be prepared to use technology to improve occupational safety and health (OSH) compliance.
“Wireless technology combined with the latest software and gadgets, such as drone and remote sensing gear can also enable safety managers to monitor workers and machines as well as assess the situation via their laptop or smartphone.”
He also said that stringent enforcement and policies must also be introduced through the strengthening of existing laws which include amending the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 to help the country face the new challenges in the light of Industrial Revolution (IR) 4.0.
Lee said construction workers also need to be given adequate training so that they know how to identify risks and to ensure that they can identify hazards as well as assess and control risks.
“Workers need to be trained so that they can conduct constant monitoring on safety aspects and identify potential hazards to avoid any untoward incidents.”
He said that evacuation training must also be conducted as part of the OSH management plan to ensure workers were prepared to face any incident.
Lee also said that authorities must also ensure that construction work conducted at the site comply with specifications set by experts.