Hold them responsible

PETALING JAYA: Various quarters today called for strict action to be taken against contractors who are negligent in ensuring public safety when carrying out public works.
This follows the death of 86-year-old former Methodist Boys School headmaster Yong Chee Seng, whose car had plunged into an uncovered 12m-deep pipe-jacking pit on May 3. Yong died at 11pm on Saturday at the University Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) where he was warded.
Yong and his 30-year old maid, who was in the car with him, were earlier reported to have suffered head and body injuries following the accident.
The accident and Yong's death have aroused strong reactions from government agencies and concerned citizens alike who called for stricter enforcement and action against errant contractors.
"His body could not take the trauma caused by the accident due to his advanced age; he even suffered a major heart attack in the morning on the day before he passed away," said Yong's cousin Key Soon Yue, who called for heads to roll over the incident.
"The hole was not covered and the barriers were just cones. Those responsible must be penalised, even charged in court," Key told theSun.
Meanwhile, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said that the pit, which was to facilitate the laying of underground pipes, must be covered when construction was not going on and surrounded with concrete barriers instead of just cones which can be knocked down easily.
He called on local authorities to review regulations and conditions imposed on contractors in the interest of public safety.
"More often than not, contractors merely pay lip service to safety just to get their projects approved and the lack of safety is immediately apparent if one is to inspect the work sites. The state of safety management is deplorable!" said Lee.
Road Safety Department (RSD) director general Abd Ghafar Yusof said stricter enforcement was needed by local councils so contractors would follow safety standards.
"Any contractor who fails to adhere to safety standards has to be identified and penalised immediately. It is not good enough to take action only after someone gets hurt," he said.
Road Transport Department (RTD) enforcement director Datuk Valluvan Veloo said the RTD would engage with local councils and the Urban Wellbeing, Housing, and Local Government Ministry (KPKT) to improve safety near work sites.
He said RTD viewed Yong's accident seriously and was very concerned with the low level of safety seen at several construction sites on public roads.
"I often wonder if local councils conduct checks on roadworks in ensuring adequate safety measures are practised," said Valluvan.
Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) civil engineering professor Law Teik Hua suggested that local authorities come up with strict, comprehensive safety guidelines so that contractors would know exactly what they need to do.