By Muhammad Basir Roslan
KUALA LUMPUR, June 24 — In Malaysia, workplaces are among the biggest contributors to Covid-19 cases, with the manufacturing sector alone accounting for 639 clusters and 95,156 positive cases as of June 14 this year.
The nation is in the midst of the second phase of the full Movement Control Order (MCO 3.0). While various regulations and standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been set specifically to stem the transmission of cases among workers in the industrial sector, many employers still have the audacity to ignore them.
Recently, a plastics factory in Taman Medan, Petaling Jaya, was slapped with a compound of RM10,000 for operating beyond the working hours stipulated under the MCO 3.0 SOPs.
An inspection by the police also showed that the factory was operating using an approval letter from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry that had expired before June 1 when the first phase of the full MCO 3.0 came into effect.
Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH) Vice President 2 Zanuddin Kisman admitted that the level of SOP-compliance among industry players was “far from satisfactory”.
He told Bernama MSOSH often heard of employers forcing their workers to work at full capacity although there are strict instructions from the government to reschedule the working hours and ensure the employees work on a rotational basis to reduce their risk of exposure to the Covid-19 virus.
Raise the penalty
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 the SOPs must be taken seriously as it poses a threat to public health.
He said MSOSH believed that industrial players are not afraid to flout the rules given the limitations on patrols and inspections by the local authorities due to their 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 MCO 1.0 last year.
It may not have gotten wide media coverage but SOP-compliance among employers is often a topic of discussion among MSOSH members, who comprise occupational safety and health practitioners, in their efforts to find effective solutions.
Zanuddin opined that one way to reduce non-compliance is by increasing the fines while another way is to tighten 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 to 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 any SOP set to prevent and control Covid-19 can be fined up to RM10,000. As for companies or corporations, they face a fine of up to RM50,000.
Appoint safety health officer
Zanuddin also urged employers to heed the Department of Occupational Safety and Health’s call to appoint a coordinator to assist in the implementation of the Covid-19 Risk Control Programme at their premises and monitoring the compliance status.
Pointing to the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, he said it requires all companies and organisations to appoint a competent person as a safety and health officer (SHO) 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 SHO is responsible for drawing up internal procedures to serve as a reference for the organisation and the 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 SHO,” 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 019 225 7299 or 03 3359 8046 or visit its website at https://www.msosh.org.my/event/423-msosh-helpline.html.
— Bernama
