KUCHING: To ensure workers are safe at their workplaces, employers, including restaurant operators must discharge their statutory duties under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.
In referring to the recent gas explosion at CityOne Megamall, Chairman of National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said, although there is no provision that compels food operators and their workers to attend safety training, it is advisable for them to at least provide safety induction training programme for their workers.
“Those working in the kitchen must learn about the hazards and risks at their workplace and ways to prevent accidents from happening,” he said, when contacted yesterday.
He then said fatal accidents at workplaces and occupational injuries are preventable if all contractors take steps to have a proper safety management plan at all their worksites.
“It was the responsibility of employers to provide training and personal protective equipment (PPE) while for employees, it is their responsibility to wear it,” he stressed.
He said employers and contractors who fail to provide a safe and healthy working environment for their employees can be charged under Section 15 of OSHA 1994, which carries a maximum sentence of a RM50,000 fine, or two years’ jail, or both.
“Workers also need to be more aware of their rights to PPE which can help save lives especially at high-risk workplaces,” he said.
He added that workers found guilty of not using PPE shall be punishable under Section 24 of the same Act, which carries a fine not exceeding RM1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding three months or both.
When asked about the ways to prevent explosion from happening in future, Lee said contractors and workers who are dealing with dangerous tasks such as renovation works that involve gas pipes or cylinders and power lines must study the floor plan.
“Employers must also get advice from relevant authorities such as the Fire and Rescue Department (Bomba) and Sarawak Energy Berhad before any renovation works are made,”
“The time has also come for contractors and sub-contractors to implement the ‘hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control’ (HIRARC) principle,” he said.
He said this to help workers and their supervisors to identify hazards and risks and find ways to avoid them.
