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NAJIB:SAFETY LEVEL FALLS SHORT AT MOST WORKPLACES

PETALING JAYA, Tues. -The safety and health standards at most workplaces are still below the acceptable level despite Government efforts to improve working condition.

The problem can be attributed to a lack of commitment and absence of awareness on issues of occupational safety and health.

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said today the common goal for employers, employees and union members should be to achieve a zero-accident target. “With an average rate of 7.4 accidents for every 1,000 workers, clearly whatever accomplishments we have made is still insufficient,” he said when opening the two-day national conference and exhibition on occupational safety and health at the Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre. However, the Deputy Prime Minister said there were some measures of success in increasing public awareness on safety at workplaces as the accident rate dropped by 12 per cent last year, compared to the previous year.

He said efforts to improve safety at workplaces should be focused on human behavior to create a positive and healthy work culture.The focus on human aspect involved monitoring the workers’ behavior and the promotion of occupational safety and health programmes to get workers to change or improve their behavior.

“It also involves the emphasis on open communication between employees and employers on safety issues.
“If accidents caused by mechanical failure or through natural occurrences cannot be avoided, at least we can reduce the number of accidents, which can be caused by negligence, ineptitude and carelessness,” he said.

Najib said workers must adopt meticulousness about safety as core value as every person was vulnerable and could potentially be involved in accidents. The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) should provide a platform for employee, employers, academia, industries, and the public to present their views on safety issues to promote better working condition, he added.

Earlier, Human Resources Minister Datuk Dr Fong Chan Onn said it was important to focus on the human factor in promoting safety as it was central to every organizations. He felt the meeting of various groups at the conference would mutually benefit everyone in the long run. “There is no doubt that this conference will provide the opportunity to explore new boundaries and gain more insights t promote occupational safety and health,” he said.

source: NST; July 21, 2004