SERIAN: Any accidents occurred during the construction of the Pan Borneo Highway should be reported immediately to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
According to Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem, NIOSH will then respond within three hours of receiving the report.
“I wish to remind all parties, especially employers, to report any accident that has happened throughout the construction of the highway,” he said, adding that safety is everyone’s responsibility.
Nevertheless, Riot said there were no reports of accident at the Pan Borneo Highway construction site.
He said this at a press conference after opening the ‘Occupational Safety and Health Open Day and the Sarawak Pan Borneo Highway Construction Project 2018’ at SJK Chung Hua here yesterday.
“The percentage of accidents in the workplace has increased nationwide and we hope to decrease it by the year 2020.
“In 2015, 2.18 accidents have been recorded from 1,000 workers whereas in 2016, 2.88 have been recorded from 1,000 workers. By 2020, NIOSH targets a decrease towards 2.53 to 1,000 workers,” the minister said.
He added fatal accidents in the workplace have been recorded at 0.43 to 1,000 workers in 2015 and it has increased to 0.48 in 2016.
At the same time, he said NIOSH would open its branches for Sabah and Sarawak (in Serian) which are expected to be operated by 2021.
Also present were NIOSH Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, the Ministry Secretary-General Datuk Dr Mohd Gazali Abas, the Ministry Deputy-Secretary General (Operation) Datuk Mohamed Elias Abu Bakar, DOSH Director-General Omar Mat Piah and NIOSH Executive Director Ayop Salleh.
