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There is a need to eradicate the
misconception that safety and health at work
is the responsibility of the Government
alone. It is not so because ensuring the
safety and health of workers are a collective
responsibility of the Government, employers
and the employees. Industrial accidents can
be reduced if every workplace takes steps
not only to formulate its safety and health
policy but also to set up its safety and health
committee with the objective of promoting a
safety culture among workers.
Total commitment from top management is
essential in working closely with employees
to promote occupational safety and health
for their organisations. Employers must
provide an effective safety and health
system which should include a safety and
health policy, safety and health committees,
procedures, equipments and training
programmes. The employees on the other
hand must give their full support and
co-operation to the employers in creating a
safe and healthy working environment.
For Malaysia to adopt a safe and healthy
work culture amongst its working population there must be a reawakening of both
employers and employees to their respective
roles in promulgating the necessary
changes.
With the present economic slowdown there
is a temptation for employers to cut back
expenses in their operations. In many
instances, the cut is made where they think is
most likely not to impact on their decreased
productivity in terms of costs. Invariably,
they seem to include cutbacks on the cost of
maintaining safe systems of work and the
pre-requisite training which comes with
them.
Even in the best of times, occupational safety
and health (OSH) is often regarded by
certain employers as a hindrance to their
profitability and the success of their
enterprise. Hence, it comes as no surprise
when employers begin to slash away
budgets pertaining to training in OSH as
well as those related to maintenance of safe
systems of work. These very short-sighted
moves by the employers are indeed
retrogressive and should be avoided under
whatever circumstances.
Indeed this is the time for management to
consolidate its work position by ensuring
that workers who are still in their
employment are properly looked after –
after all, they have become an even more
important asset to ensure the continued
success of their enterprises.
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