90% estates in Malaysia fails to meet Occupational Safety and Health standards ...

It is workers that we must be concerned about - and it is shocking to find out that now 90% of the estates in Malaysia have failed Occupational Safety and Health Department's safety level.

Will the government take action against these employers? Or will be waiting for the serious industrial accidents that result in serious injury or even death...

Only 50 out of the 581 estates audited by the Occupational Safety and Health Department passed the safety level set by the Human Resources MInistry.

Minister Datuk Dr S. Subramaniam said the figure was worrying as there were more than 3,000 estates in the country.

“We are worried but we are doing something to improve the figure,” he told reporters after launching an occupational safety and health carnival at the Seri Intan Estate yesterday.

Dr Subramaniam said among others, the ministry would conduct regular audits and hold more carnivals on occupational safety and health issues.

He also urged estate workers to assume more responsibility for their own safety, adding that sometimes they did not bother to use the safety equipment supplied to them by their employers.

He said the cases of reported industrial accidents had also declined from 58,365 in 2004 to 44,918 last year, with manufacturing, construction and agriculture recording the highest number. - Star, 24/5/2009, 90% of audited estates found to be ‘unsafe’