KUALA LUMPUR: It is essential for the tourism industry to enforce comprehensive “safety first” rule to reduce the number of injuries and fatalities associated with tourism-related activities, according to The Alliance for Safe Community chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye (pix).
Lee said there are risks attendant upon every indoor and outdoor activity, and there have been many media reports on such accidents.
He urged local tour operators to have a note of caution for tourists regarding outdoor activities such as mountain climbing, hiking, scuba diving, water scooting, snorkelling, water rafting, flying fox, wall climbing, and bungee jumping.
“I would (also) urge hoteliers, tourism service providers, and tourists to pay special attention to matters relating to their safety and health and voluntarily include an additional standard operating procedure (SOP) pertaining to occupational safety and health (OSH) for the hospitality industry.
“Activities which involve technical and high risks also necessitate an Emergency Response Team as well as First Aider for any emergency,“ he said in a statement today.
The government has announced that the domestic tourism sector can resume operations on June 10 to help accelerate the country’s economic recovery phase.
Lee said implementing OSH for the hospitality industry involves practising HIRARC - Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment, and Risk Control - which is essential to ensure that holiday and recreational outings are accident-free.
“These accidents (injuries and fatalities involving indoor and outdoor activities) are preventable, and an early safety audit by the industry operators will flag these potential danger spots, and enable preventive measures to be implemented,“ he said.
He said a commitment to OSH in addition to compliance with all SOPs for Covid-19 prevention also makes good business sense for tour operators and others in the hospitality industry.
“The tourists, tour guides too can be exposed to many OSH issues, including physical and psychosocial hazards as tour guides are subjected to long and exhausting hours of work,” he said. - Bernama
