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Construction Industry
Based on the SOCSO report in 2000, the case
fatality rate in the construction industry in Malaysia was of more
than 3 times of all
workplaces (3.3% in construction sector compared to all workplaces
of 1.1%). The higher incidence of injuries in the construction sector
and the higher fatalities rates among construction workers has generally
due to the fact that construction involves many activities associated
with different hazards, weather condition and different jobs during
the construction phase (Marchel, 1996). This sector is also called
a 3D industry namely dirty, dangerous and dusty.
The common work hazards during construction are movement of vehicle
(back hoe, trucks, tractors, forklift and cars); lifting vehicle
(crane); working at height (scaffold and ladder); power tools and
hand tools; electrical shock and burns; and roof work. Occupational
health issues common to construction workers are manual handling
that causes body strain and pain; heat stress; excessive noise exposure;
dust exposure and insect bites where the construction site is an
endemic area for dengue.
Manufacturing Industry
Under the Malaysia Industrial Development Authority
(MIDA) list of industry, there are a number of manufacturing industries
which
are classified as manufacturing sector. The major manufacturing industries
are electronic industry, automobile industry, textile industry, wood
based industry, steel industry and petrochemical industry. Among
these industries, the electronic industry is the major manufacturing
sector.
Electronics Industry
In Malaysia, the history of the electronics industry
can be traced back to 1972 when the first semiconductor factory
was set up in Penang.
Semiconductor manufacturing is a chemical-intensive industry involving
many potentially hazardous operations. There is a number of health
hazards associated with the chemicals used such as skin problem,
breathing difficulties and reproductive problem (Lin 1986; Lee, 1992 & Ng,
2001b). The common chemicals used in the semiconductor assembly are
chemical solvents and cleaners such as trichloroethylene (TCE), isopropyl
alcohol (IPA), acetone, freon, epoxy, acids and flux. The semiconductor
fabrication, which is more hazardous than semiconductor assembly,
is new in Malaysia and currently there are two factories involve
in fabricating semiconductor chip.
Other occupational health issues are ergonomic risk factor due to
repetitive work or prolong standing and shift work.
Textile Industry
Textile industry including the batik industry is
known for the chemical hazards due to dye (Razlan et al, 2002). There
are also cases of
exposure to cotton dust and excessive noise from the weaving and
ring spinning sections (Tan,1999).
Automobile Industry
Automobile industry is known for the OSH problem
from the worker exposure to body strain and pain from material
handling in casting
and assembly sections and chemical from the paint shop. There are
also heavy equipments used to make different vehicle parts and machinery
hazards become an important issue (Rampal, 2002).
Steel Industry
The first steel factory built in Malaysia was
in 1967 by the name of Malayawata Steel Berhad. Common OSH issues
in this
industry are
heat stress and material handling. Heat stress is due to the heat
release from molten and slag (Ismail NH, 1996 & Rampal, 2002).
Petro-chemical Industry
The first oil well in Malaysia was discovered
by Shell on Canada Hill in Miri, Sarawak in 1910 (Jaya, 1996).
The Petro-chemical industry
is known to be a highly hazardous industry due to the big quantity
of chemical being produced and processed. Some of these chemicals
are toxic to human and also pose safety hazards such as fire, explosion
and toxic release to the air. As such, this industry is governed
by a stringent safety standard including the requirement to demonstrate
safety management system.
Agricultural Industry
The common hazards for the agricultural industry
are chemical hazards such as pesticide used and biological hazards.
Farmers who used pesticides
frequently without proper personal protective equipment will has
reduced bood cholinesterase and the possible of poor nerve sensitivities
(Uttaman, 1997).
Service Industry
The service industry covers a wide spectrum of sectors
such as hotel, food catering, banking and finance and healthcare
providers such
as hospitals.
Common OSH issues among the hotel industries are ergonomic risk factor,
indoor air quality and airborne contaminants such as Legionnella
disease. Office safety is also an important issue such as trip and
fall hazards from loose wire, office machinery and emergency evacuation.
Food services and catering is a booming business in Malaysia. The
common OSH issues are from the kitchen due to improper use of kitchen
equipment, heat stress and indoor air quality.
Healthcare personnel such as nurses experience occupational stress,
back pain due to forceful bending and possible exposure to biological
hazards such as HIV and hepatitis.
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