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KUALA LUMPUR – The Social Security Organisation (Socso) has paid a total of RM1.4 billion in 2021 in compensation involving industrial accidents across all industries, which include local and foreign workers.
The head of its prevention, medical, and rehabilitation division, Dr Azlan Darus, said that in 2021, Socso’s interim data recorded a total of 61,447 accident cases, whereby 36,794 cases involved industrial accidents, with almost 700 deaths and 24,683 accidents while commuting to the workplace.
“The construction industry had among the highest number of fatal accidents. Therefore, as we emerge from pandemic lockdowns and into the economic recovery phases, it is high time to reset its practices and emphasise health and safety more to prevent losses,” he told reporters after the launch of the 20th Master Builders Association Malaysia’s (MBAM) Annual Safety and Health Conference 2022.
Azlan also read the opening speech of Socso’s chief executive officer Datuk Seri Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed during the launch today.
In his speech, Azman said every job disaster costs the community and nation in terms of lives, physical and mental ability, property damages, affected productivity results, and so on.
“Negligence and shortcomings in ensuring compliance with aspects of occupational safety and health in the workplace are among the main contributors to accidents,” he said.
Azlan emphasised that social security should go beyond compensation, since families’ livelihoods are impacted when accidents happen.
“Compensation is post-event. We need to talk about preventive measures before the event, and we have to do something different,” he said.
In 2017, he noted, the government had introduced guidelines for occupational safety and health for the construction industry that placed the responsibility to ensure safety and health at the construction sites as the duty of not only contractors, but also designers and developers.
“Parliament passed an amendment to the Occupational Safety and Health Act last year, and the amendment enables the government to make regulations to include the responsibility of the developers as well as designers. We hope to make it a mandatory requirement soon.
“Developed nations have regulations that include developers and designers,” he said.
Meanwhile, MBAM immediate former president Foo Chek Lee commented that 40% of accidents occurred due to the failure of designs to incorporate aspects of safety and the ability of contractors to execute them.
“When accidents occur, not only do the next of kin suffer, but the company also suffers. The site will be sealed off at least for one month and 200 to 300 workers will have to stop work. Who will pay the compensation? So if you take care of the safety aspects, you can also have safe profits,” he added. – Bernama, March 29, 2022