KUALA LUMPUR: The Alliance For A Safe Community (Ikatan) organised a groundbreaking three-day training programme for occupational safety and health (OSH) coordinators last Monday.
The initiative took place simultaneously at two strategic venues, a public class in Ikatan’s headquarters at Bukit Bintang City Centre, and in Segamat (Johor) where two SMEs were actively engaged.
One hundred free seats were provided to employees from SMEs for the three-day programme as part of Ikatan’s corporate social responsibility to employees and their right to a safe working environment.
Ikatan chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye in his opening speech said safety is a basic human right of any employee.
“It is for an employee to go to work and return home safely. It is the collective responsibility of employees, employers and the government to reinforce the importance of safety at work.
“Workplace safety must be treated as an investment instead of an expense. Organisations will benefit from OSH practices in terms of productivity, because accidents can cause a total work halt.”
Frederick Charles, who received a free seat in the training programme, is very thankful to Ikatan for hosting the session.
“Organisations with five or more employees must have an OSH coordinator, based on the amendments to the OSH Act.
“This training is good for organisations that want to take the first step in implementing OSH in the workplace.”
Charles, who works at a medical employee benefits organisation, said the practice of OSH is extremely important for the workplace.
“Overall safety is critical for employees. The perception is that safety is more important for construction, manufacturing or industrial work. But even administrative work needs safety.
“Sometimes, a person needs to handle appliances and moveable parts at work and if he does not have a good understanding of workplace safety, a simple job can turn into a hazardous situation.”
Charles said he has witnessed workplace injuries, which motivated him to gain more knowledge on the issue.
“I find OSH very important because I have worked in construction and have seen negligence to the extent of serious injuries and fatalities at the work site.
“If there had been the same kind of enforcement on OSH as there is now, many injuries and fatalities could have been prevented.
He added that injuries could be avoided if correct practices are put in place.
“Safety is a top priority. Life is not cheap and once an injury occurs, it takes time to heal and sometimes, one may have to live with a permanent injury.
“We should not take safety for granted and try our best to avoid workplace accidents to the best of our ability.”
Another participant, Marco Chaw Swee Ming, said he and his colleague joined the training programme because of his commitments to his workplace.
“My company intends to form a safety committee because we have over 50 employees. But we lack knowledge of OSH, so this programme would benefit us.
“We wanted to attend to the needs of our employees by providing benefits in terms of safety and health. Besides, it is important to abide by the new amendments to the OSH Act 1994 that require organisations with over five employees to appoint an OSH coordinator.
“This programme will serve as a preventive measure to decrease the chances of workplace accidents.”
Chaw, who is Academy of Safety and Emergency Care human resources and development manager, said he only expected to learn how to form a safety committee, but he gained much more from the training.
“We learned how to create standard operating procedures, safety policies and hazard identification, risk assessment, and risk control (HIRARC).
“My mindset on safety has also changed. It should not be out of compliance but out of care for our employees.”
Chaw said the knowledge gained at the programme will be used to influence his bosses and colleagues.
“Safety is everybody’s responsibility. Safety officers and employers hold some responsibility but employees are also responsible for adhering to guidelines and policies set. To spread awareness of OSH, it is important for me to share what I have learned here.”
Chaw said trainers at Ikatan share important information based on their own experiences regarding OSH.
“The basics can be learned from the internet but what trainers provide is their personal experience on OSH.
“The real-world experience they provide is more valuable than the theories that can be studied and it is a more practical style of learning.”
Ikatan OSH coordinator trainer Engku Nasir Said Mohammad said OSH coordinators must advise their higher-ups on safety issues and manage occupational safety and health at their workplaces.
“The training that Ikatan conducts as allowed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health helps OSH coordinators achieve their goal with knowledge on OSH issues. The programme focuses on SMEs because they lack the resources to certify themselves.
“Their duties are to advise their managers when faced with safety issues at work, conduct inspections and perform HIRARC management at their workplace.
Nasir urged employees from SMEs to participate in OSH coordinator training because many people are either unaware or negligent on matters of safety.
“There are around half a million SMEs in Malaysia. If we can guide one coordinator in every SME, we hope to reach a perfect zero-accident policy.”
Another trainer, Prame Kumar, who led the training session at Segamat, stressed the holistic approach.
“Throughout the programme, participants grasped the necessities and consequences of safety. From HIRARC, they learned vital workplace safety measures.”
“We emphasised individual exercises and group work, crucial for future OSH coordinators. It is about mastering self-care before aiding others, reflecting in our 11-module Ikatan training.”
While praising participants, Prame said: ”They exceeded expectations in theory and practice, displaying full commitment. With OSHA/AKKP 2022, a positive shift in Malaysia’s workplace safety is imminent.”
In addition to the paid training classes, Ikatan will be continuing its 100 free-seat offer for the OSH-C training programme from September to December on a first-come first-served basis.
For more information on Ikatan and the programmes it provides, visit www.safecommunity.org.my.
To join and benefit from the OSH-C training programme, small companies that meet the criteria are encouraged to contact Ikatan through email at tnc.ikatan@gmail.com or call 03-21100236.
