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Source: Department of The
total National Gross Domestic Product (GDP) amounts to RM 385
billion (RM 3.80 =1 USD). Services and manufacturing sectors contribute
to a total of 72.4% of the GDP (Table 2). Table
2:
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| Type of
Sector |
Product
in RM (million) |
% of Total |
| |
|
|
|
Services |
162,303 |
42.1 |
|
Manufacturing |
116,814 |
30.3 |
|
Mining & quarrying |
34,746 |
9.0 |
|
Agricultural, forestry & fishing |
29,243 |
7.6 |
|
Impacted bank service charge |
22,307 |
5.8 |
|
Construction |
14,080 |
3.7 |
| Import duties |
5827 |
1.5 |
| Total |
385,320 |
100 |
Source: Department of
Total export
in the year 2000 was RM 213 billion. Electrical and electronics
export were the major contributors (66%) (Table 3).
Table 3.
| Type of
Sector |
Product
in RM (million) |
% of Total |
| |
|
|
|
Electrical
and electronics |
141,100 |
66.0 |
|
Other manufactured goods ad articles |
31,192 |
14.6 |
|
Palm oil |
10,902 |
5.1 |
|
Crude petroleum |
8930 |
4.2 |
|
Liquid natural gas |
8520 |
4.0 |
|
Articles of apparel, clothing accessories |
5930 |
2.8 |
|
Sawn logs and timber |
2886 |
1.3 |
|
Plywood & veneer |
2906 |
1.3 |
| Rubber |
1454 |
0.7 |
| Total |
385,320 |
100 |
Source: Department of
In
1960s, the government implemented a policy to move towards industrialization.
This resulted in an increasing number of workers in the manufacturing
sector such as microelectronics, chemical and mineral based industries,
and in later years textile and automobile industries. In order
to manage the safety and health problems associated with manufacturing
industries, the Factory and Machinery Act (FMA) was enacted in
1967 and enforced by the Factories and Machinery Department (previously
known as Machinery Department). This Act and the regulations were the cornerstone
for
A number of regulations were introduced in 1970 to further strengthen the FMA 1967 (Table 4). These regulations except for the Safety, Health and Welfare Regulation 1970 were primarily targeted in addressing safety problems. Provisions of first aid and welfare facilities e.g. drinking water, toilets and washing facility were included in the Safety, Health and Welfare Regulation 1970. From 1984 to 1989, four pieces of regulations addressing specific health hazards in the workplace – lead, asbestos, noise and mineral dust – were introduced. Provisions for assessing exposure at the workplace; establishing permissible exposure level (PEL); control measures including medical and health surveillance provisions; competence and training program were common to all these regulations. However, the process of introducing regulations covering other health hazard was slow.
Table 4.
List of regulations made under the FMA 1967.
| Regulations |
Year |
| |
|
|
Certificate of Competency-Examination |
1970 |
|
Electric Passenger and Good Lift |
1970 |
|
Fencing of Machinery and Safety |
1970 |
|
Notification of Fitness and Inspections |
1970 |
|
Person-In-Charge |
1970 |
|
Safety, Health & Welfare |
1970 |
|
Steam Boiler & Unfired Pressure Vessel |
1970 |
|
Administration |
1970 |
|
Compounding of Offences |
1978 |
|
Compoundable Offences |
1978 |
|
Lead |
1984 |
|
Asbestos Process |
1986 |
|
Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction
(Safety) |
1986 |
|
Noise Exposure |
1989 |
|
Mineral Dust |
1989 |
| |
|
Source: Factory
& Machinery Act, 1967.
The introduction
of a comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994
was in response to the need to cover a wider employee base and
newer hazards introduced in the workplace. Developed countries
such as
The
Act was derived from the philosophy of the Roben’s Commission
and Health & Safety At Work Act 1974 in
A series of
regulations have been introduced under OSHA 1994. The emphasis
of these regulations has been on establishing mechanism to implement
The Control
of Industrial Major Accident Hazards (CIMAH) Regulations 1996
was enacted in response indirectly to the
The Classification,
Packaging and Labeling (CPL) Regulations 1997 and Use and Standard
of Exposure of Chemical Hazardous to Health (USECHH) Regulations
2000 were specific for controlling chemicals at the workplace.
The CPL regulation required proper packaging and labeling of chemicals
by the supplier including the label giving risk phrases. The USECHH
regulation includes the provision of chemical health risk assessor
(CHRA), occupational health doctor (OHD) and industrial hygiene
technician to perform their respective roles in assessing the
health risk from chemical exposure. In particular, the chemical
health risk assessment includes having a list of all chemicals,
assessing workers exposure to these risks, deciding on acceptability
of risks and control measures that exist are reviewed. If risks
are found to be unacceptable, action needs to be taken. This regulation
leads to increased training needs, which was offered by NIOSH.
Guideline on Chemical Health Risk Assessment has also been issued.
Table 5 showed the regulations made under OSHA 1994. Guidelines
and Code of Practices which have been issued by DOSH under the
OSHA 1994 are shown in Table 6.
Table 5. The regulation made under OSHA 1994.
| Regulation |
Year |
| Employer’s Safety and Health General Policy Statement (Exception) |
1995 |
|
Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards |
1996 |
|
Safety and Health Committee |
1996 |
|
Classification, Packaging, and Labelling of Hazardous Chemicals |
1997 |
|
Safety and Health Officer |
1997 |
|
Safety and Health Officer Order |
1997 |
|
Prohibition of Use of Substance |
1999 |
|
Use and Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health |
2000 |
| |
|
Source: OSHA, 1994.
| Regulation |
Year |
| Guidelines for Public Safety and Health at Construction Site |
1994 |
|
Guidelines on First Aid Facilities in the Workplace |
1996 |
|
Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in the Office |
1996 |
|
Guidelines for the Classification of Hazardous Chemicals |
1997 |
|
Guidelines for Labelling of Hazardous Chemicals |
1997 |
|
Guidelines for the Formulation of a Chemical Safety Data
Sheet |
1997 |
|
Guidelines on Control of Exposure to Dust in the Wood Processing
Industry |
1998 |
|
Guidelines on Safety and Health in the Wood Processing Industry |
1998 |
|
Guidelines on Reduction of Exposure to Noise in the Wood
Processing Industry |
1998 |
|
Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in Tunnel Construction |
1998 |
|
Guidelines for the Preparation of Demonstration of Safe Operation
Document (Storage of Liquified Petroleum Gas in Cylinder) |
2001 |
|
Guidelines on Medical Surveillance |
2001 |
|
Approved Code of Practice for Safe Working in a Confined
Space |
2001 |
|
Approved Code of Practice on HIV/AIDS in Workplace. |
2001 |
|
Guidance for the Prevention of Stress and Violence at the
Workplace |
2001 |
|
Code of Practice on Prevention and Management of HIV/AIDS
at the Workplace |
2001 |
|
Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health for Standing
at Work |
2002 |
|
Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in Agriculture |
2002 |
| |
|
Source: DOSH,
An
ILO convention is considered a multilateral
international treaty, and contains binding obligations. Member
countries on ratifying a convention are obliged to apply its provision
by legislation or by other appropriate means as
indicated in the text of the convention. Report on non-compliance
may be made by the governments of other ratifying States or by
employers’ or workers’ organizations. Procedures exist for investigating
and acting upon such complaints. Usually, Trade Unions use ILO
standards to support arguments in bargaining and promoting legislation.
In the other hands, ILO recommendations are a form of guideline for action to
be taken by member country which do not require reporting to ILO. The reason why
ILO-Japan
Institute for Science and Labor (ISC) initiative such as the Workplace
Improvement for Small Enterprise (WISE) project in 1997 was another
case where collaboration between local authority and ILO regional
office was carried out. This project was specifically targeted
to improve
Table 7.
ILO Conventions Ratified by
| Convention
Code |
Title of
Convention |
Date |
| |
|
|
|
Forced Labour Convention, 1930 (No. 29) |
11.11.1957
|
|
|
Recruiting of Indigenous Workers Convention, 1936 (No. 50)
|
11.11.1957
|
|
|
Contracts of Employment (Indigenous Workers) Convention,
1939 (No. 64) |
11.11.1957
|
|
|
Penal Sanctions (Indigenous Workers) Convention, 1939 (No. 65)
|
11.11.1957
|
|
|
Abolition of Forced Labour Convention, 1957 (No. 105)
|
13.10.1958
|
|
|
Protection of Wages Convention, 1949 (No. 95) |
17.11.1961
|
|
|
Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949
(No. 98) |
5.06.1961
|
|
|
Labour Inspection Convention, 1947 (No. 81) |
1.07.1963
|
|
|
Employment Service Convention, 1948 (No. 88) |
6.06.1974
|
|
|
Guarding of Machinery Convention, 1963 (No. 119) |