LETTERS: The Occupational Safety and Health Amendment Act 2022 (OSHA 2022) was enforced recently.
As expected, some employers and trade associations pleaded with the authorities to be lenient, giving excuses like they were unaware of OSHA or were not ready to implement it.
These pleas are mainly from small and medium enterprises (SMEs). Meanwhile, multinational companies (MNCs) are prepared to meet their OSHA obligations.
Even more positive is the fact that MNCs practise self-regulation.
SMEs are the backbone of the Malaysian economy, accounting for about 97 per cent of total businesses that encompass the service sector, construction, manufacturing, agriculture, fishery and forestry, and mining and quarrying.
Data from SMECorp show there are more than 1.1 million SMEs in Malaysia, with the service sector making up 85 per cent.
SMEs need to respond positively to the OSHA amendment as Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) statistics show that 57 per cent of industrial accidents last year were recorded from small and medium-scale manufacturers.
Thus, the pleas by companies and trade associations to delay implementation of OSHA and its 2022 amendments would be difficult to accept.
OSHA was not enacted yesterday. It was enacted in 1994 and it is hard to accept that after 30 years firms still claim they are not ready to follow the law.
Under OSHA 2022, the penalty for violations has increased from RM50,000 to RM500,000.
The increased penalties is aimed at employers who do not care for their workers' safety and health.
Such stiff penalties are not that uncommon. Under the Department of Environment Schedule Waste regulation, violations of the regulations could lead to a fine of RM500,000 or five years imprisonment or both.
WONG SOO KAN
Petaling Jaya, Selangor
The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect those of the New Straits Times