Workers at risk12 Jan 2007

Editorial: Workers at risk12 Jan 2007
IN 2001, the Human Resources Ministry made the confident proclamation that by 2003, at the latest, the nation’s construction sector would achieve a zero worksite-accident rate. Unfortunately, this was not achieved.And now, more than three years later, that coveted target remains just as elusive. Last year, 17 people died in accidents on construction sites in Kuala Lumpur and Putrajaya alone. Among them was management consultant Liew Boon Horng, killed when a steel mould fell 20 storeys onto his car. The only good that came out of this death was that it galvanised the authorities into action against the developer and contractor of the apartment project. More stringent measures — placing the onus of ensuring work-site safety on contractors and giving the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) more teeth — were also speedily introduced.Many optimistically thought the Liew case would finally get things moving in the direction of fewer work-site accidents and deaths. But then, as always, the storm passed, and despite the new rules that has been introduced and the greater awareness that have been created of worksite dangers, not enough has since changed. Occupational safety is still not quite the imperative it ought to be in the minds of contractors, work-site managers or, for that matter, workers. This week in Kuala Lumpur, two men died and several were injured when a gondola plunged 15 metres to the ground at the construction site of a condominium and shopping complex.Despite the warnings, stop-work orders, fines, blacklisting and legal action following accidental deaths, the number of worksite accidents remains astoundingly high, even if figures are declining annually. The authorities can enact and enforce laws, but it is those actually at the site of potential accidents who are best placed to help prevent mishaps or deaths. Hence, the government has rightly put the onus on main and sub-contractors. They must bear the burden of maintaining worksite safety or suffer grave consequences to business and reputation. There is urgent need for the construction industry to be more sensitive to demands for safety. It is not enough to impose fines of RM1 or RM2 on workers who do not wear safety gear at worksites. Above all, occupational safety should not be seen as a profit-sapping expense in the management of industries but as a productivity-booster. At the same time, DOSH must come down hard on the erring parties now that it has more power to act against them.