Our nation's commitment to occupational safety and health at the workplace is reflected through the enactment of the  Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA), the setting up of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), and the establishment of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Industrial accidents at the workplace continue to be a grave concern to all of us. As we strive towards Vision 2020, it is inevitable that industrial and economic activities will increase. Activities in the manufacturing sectors, agricultural and service sectors will also be on the rise. There has always been a positive correlation between industrial activities and industrial accidents. We should not allow this trend to continue.

Diverse hazards are faced daily by millions of workers all over the country. It is these workers whom we wish to protect. We wish to protect their right to a healthy work environment so that they will not be exposed to the hazards of mishandling chemicals, faulty equipment, prolonged hazard exposure and the such. Our aim is to protect their right to a safe environment, with safe and well-maintained equipment and machinery and with safe operating procedures. Ultimately, we wish to protect their right to life.

For workers in Malaysia, I would say that we are fortunate to have a strong legislative framework for occupational safety and health. However, enforcement by the Government alone is insufficient to ensure workplace safety and health. There has to be cooperations and efforts by the industries to initiate procedures and implement systems towards OSHA compliance.

NIOSH is in the position to assist industries in achieving this aim. We complement the Government's efforts by providing training, consultations, and information dissemination services to industries. We also undertake research and development activities that will assist in the development of OSH in the country. Our mission is to become the partner of industries towards full OSH compliance.

NIOSH assists industries towards compliance in terms of providing services such as chemical health risk assessments (CHRA) as well as chemical, medical and health monitoring. We also provide consultancy services, advice and recommendations to the industries on a safe and healthy system of work. We are constantly developing our manpower and expertise on the new and current hazards and issues on OSH such as stress at the workplace, problems related to manual handling, backaches and the detection, monitoring and control of chemical exposure resulting in work related accidents and diseases.

On the administrative and management side, NIOSH also offers training services on understanding the legislative requirements of OSHA and the Factories and Machinery Act, the training of competent persons for certain job tasks as required under the Act, training of trainers for specific courses etc. We also offer consultation services on Safety and Health Management Systems, developing Procedures and Manuals, Safety Audits, Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control, Emergency or Crisis Management and the like.

Although various efforts have been introduced and offered by both DOSH and NIOSH in ensuring continuous compliance to the Regulations, companies must not depend solely on DOSH to enforce the law and NIOSH to provide training, consultation and information services. Our efforts must be supported by individual company commitment with the overall aim towards full implementation of an OSH management system.

Our hope is that you will explore our website on the various services offered by NIOSH to industries, and consult with our personnel, so we can assist your company to further enhance the safety, health and welfare of your staff, workers and overall workplace environment. One thing that we at NIOSH know for sure is that making the workplace safer and healthier for the employees will result in increased productivity for the company and ultimately help reducing the number of industrial accidents and diseases in Malaysia.

We are at the crossroads of IR4.0 whereby the technology involved in the daily operation of the activities is very dynamic, complex and very demanding. Volatility, uncertainty and ambiguity characterise today’s environment, creating new challenges and demands for corporate managers and directors. However, the underlying role of the board remains unchanged; it must remain focused on its long-term vision for the company.

This complexity in daily management of the corporate sector must take into account of the human factor involved in the operations. Their safety and health is of utmost important since this factor is the prime mover of the whole company.

In Malaysia, this issue has been duly addressed through legislative and regulatory measures which provide comprehensive guidelines and the directions for the directors and managers of the corporate sector. Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994) and the Factory and Machineries Act (FMA) are the core of legislative requirements to be complied by the corporate sector which is administered by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health under the Ministry of Human Resources. In addition to this Department, the government realized the importance of a training institute to enhance the effectiveness of OSHA implementation at the workplace. To fulfil this need NIOSH (National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health) was formed on 24^th  June 1992  as a company limited by guarantee under the Malaysian Companies ACT 1965.

The primary role of NIOSH is to promote a safe and healthy workplace and workforce in Malaysia. In addition, NIOSH is committed to assist employers and employees to manage OSH in their organisation effectively and it is dedicated to provide Quality Solutions related to OSH issues with a pragmatic approach which are reasonable and practicable. NIOSH is also vested with the responsibility to conduct Evaluation exercises to ascertain the quality of the persons undergone training at NIOSH and this service is recognized by the industries internationally.

All the above information is presented in a structured manner to enable easy reference to the corporate managers.

Training is an investment and certain to pay back in the form of increased productivity in conjunction with a safe and healthy  workplace environment. I trust the corporate sector will take serious view of the efforts undertaken by the government and adhere to the legal requirements as stipulated under OSHA and FMA.