KUALA LUMPUR: Authorities have instructed 150 construction sites to cease operation for failure to adhere to the standard operating procedures (SOP) of the Movement Control Order 3.0 (MCO 3.0) since June 1.
The Works Ministry, in a statement today, said the Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) had inspected 2,423 construction sites nationwide during MCO 3.0, comprising 446 operating during the lockdown and 1,977 which did not.
Out of 446 "active" construction sites, the ministry said 150 of them did not comply with the SOP while the rest followed.
"All of these 150 construction sites were ordered to cease operation immediately. Eleven of them were allowed to resume operations after they had adopted measures to adhere to the SOP."
The 150 construction sites that were ordered to cease operation were 45 in Sarawak, 24 sites in Selangor, 16 in Melaka, 10 each in Penang and Terengganu, nine in Sabah, seven in Johor, six each in Kuala Lumpur and Pahang, five in Perak, four each in Kedah and Negri Sembilan, three in Perlis and one in Kelantan.
Construction sites that were later allowed to resume operations were four in Terengganu, three in Melaka, two in Johor, as well as one each in Kedah and Kuala Lumpur.
The ministry said it did not take lighty the high percentage of non-compliance level as that would hamper the MCO 3.0 objective to curb the spread of Covid-19.
"Since MCO 3.0 started, the CIDB has intensified inspections in the bid to contain the coronavirus after Covid-19 cases involving construction sites are on the rise, particularly in the Klang Valley.
"The Works Ministry wants all contractors to be fully committed in shouldering the responsibility to ensure their workers are complying with the SOP at their workplaces and living quarters.
"They also need to make sure that all their workers have been screened and are free from the virus before they are allowed to return to work."
Aside from slapping immediate closure order on operators of construction sites, CIDB can also issue a fine up to RM500,000 or revoke their Contractor Registration Certificate.
"They must follow the current guidelines and the SOP that are set by the National Security Council (NSC)."
SOP can be found on the NSC website at https://www.mkn.gov.my/web/ms/soppkp-pemulihan/ while construction industry guidelines and SOP can be accessed via CIDB official Telegram handle at https://t.me/cidbmy, CIDB website at www.cidb.gov.my or CIDB Careline at 03-5567 3300.