ROAD FATALITIES RISE IN MALAYSIA

SAFETY.....NIOSH Chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye donning a safety jacket on Kim Teck Cheong employee Trace Wong watched by KTC Chairman Lau Kok Sing (left) and Vice Chairman Dexter Lau (right).

By : ELAINE MAH

IT CANNOT be over stressed, and Chairman of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye is never done repeating the message: Road safety is a serious matter and must not be neglected.

Statistics provided by Pertubuhan Keselamatan Sosial (PERKESO) show that while there has been a decrease in industrial accidents occurring in Malaysia over the past 6 years, commuting accidents have been on the rise. Malaysia has seen a 45 percent reduction in cases of industrial accidents, with 67,163 cases in 2006 down to 35, 088 cases in 2011.

By contrast, the total number of commuting accidents has increased by almost 40 percent in the same period, with 17, 704 cases in 2006 to 24, 809 cases in 2011.

"I am very worried about commuting accidents. Many people are dying on the road everyday," Lee said at the launching of the Occupational, Safety and Health Awareness Seminar for the Kim Teck Cheong group of companies.

To reverse this trend, Lee urged all employers to include an element of road safety management in any health and safety program that they organize.

"I would like to suggest to employers to involve authorities like the Road Safety Department when they conduct work safety programs to educate their employees on safe driving," Lee said.

On Occupational Safety and Health, Lee stressed that safety is good business as well.

"Occupational safety and health should not be seen as a profit-sapping factor for the management of industries, but be regarded as a productivity booster. Industries must realize that accident prevention is no longer a fringe benefit but a prerequisite to a profitable operation," Lee said.

According to NIOSH, since its launch in Sabah, the institute has trained almost 800 safety and health officers. (Insight Sabah)

SEMINAR.....Kim Teck Cheong employees attending the Awareness seminar.