KUALA LUMPUR – Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH) vice-president Zanuddin Kisman said that the level of compliance with standard operating procedures among industry players in the manufacturing and industrial sectors remains “far from satisfactory”.
He said MSOSH often heard of employers forcing their workers to work at full capacity despite strict instructions from the government to reschedule working hours and ensure employees work on rotations to reduce their risk of exposure to Covid-19.
Zanuddin said under Section 15, subsection (1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, “it is the duty of every employer and self-employed person to ensure, so far as is practicable, the safety, health, and welfare at work of all his employees”.
“But here we have employers who seem to be gambling on the safety and health of their own workers,” he said, adding that the issue of non-compliance with SOPs must be taken seriously as it poses a threat to public health.
He said MSOSH believes industrial players are not afraid to flout the rules given the limitations on patrols and inspections by the local authorities due to manpower constraints.
“To them (employers), their production and profits are more important and even if they are caught violating the SOPs, they can afford to pay the fine,” he said.
According to Zanuddin, the issue of employers flouting the SOPs is not new as they have been doing so since the enforcement of the first movement control order last year.
He said that ways to reduce non-compliance include increasing fines, and tightening the screening of factories that submit applications to operate during the MCO period.
He said MSOSH also viewed the penalty of up to RM50,000 imposed on errant factory operators as “affordable”, when compared with the profits they rake in when their factories operate at full capacity.
According to the Emergency Infectious Diseases Prevention and Control (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 – which came into effect on March 11, 2021 – individuals caught violating SOPs set to prevent and control Covid-19 can be fined up to RM10,000. Companies or corporations face a fine of up to RM50,000.
Zanuddin also urged employers to heed the Occupational Safety and Health Department’s call to appoint coordinators to assist in the implementation of the Covid-19 Risk Control Programme at their premises and in monitoring compliance.
He said the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 requires all companies and organisations to appoint a competent person as a safety and health officer to assist in the implementation and monitoring of programmes related to health and safety of the workforce.
“In the context of the current situation, namely the Covid-19 pandemic, the officer is responsible for drawing up internal procedures to serve as a reference for the organisation and employees in their efforts to control the pandemic,” he said
The coordinator, meanwhile, is also tasked with notifying the employer and the in-house emergency response team (ERT) if there is any person with Covid-19 symptoms at the workplace.
According to Zanuddin, the person with the Covid-19 symptoms would have to be transported to a specific clinic or health centre by the ERT.
“The team also has to arrange for the premises to be disinfected as outlined in the procedures developed internally by the officer,” he added.
Anyone in need of advice or consultation with regard to the management of Covid-19 at the workplace can contact MSOSH via its helpline at 019-2257299 or 03-33598046, or visit its website. – Bernama, June 24, 2021
