Kota Kinabalu: A company was fined RM20,000 or 60 days’ jail for failing to ensure its workers’ safety which resulted in a fatal incident involving one of its employees.
Sessions Court Judge Noor Hafizah Mohd Salim ordered Superscape Sdn Bhd to pay the fine after its manager pleaded guilty to the charge against the company.
The company failed to ensure that employees comply with safe work procedures, which resulted in the death of one Wang Fei from China.
The offence took place between 7.55am and 9.11am on March 26, this year, at the project site of Proposed Solar Glass Manufacturing plant at Industrial Zone 7, Phase 2, in Jalan kKIP Timur, near here.
The offence, under Section 15(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994, provides for a fine of up to RM50,000 or a jail term of up to two years, or both, on conviction.
During mitigation, the representative asked for leniency saying that it was the company’s first offence and the incident taught them a lesson to ensure the safety and health of their employees.
He also informed the court that the company had taken steps to improve and have complied with the conditions set by the department.
He added that the company took full responsibility of the victim after the incident in which the company helped the victim’s family by preparing accommodations and buying airplane ticket for his wife from China.
However, Prosecuting Officer Karman Zulitni of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, urged the court to hand down a deterrent sentence to give a warning to other would-be offenders.
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