Integrating Health And Safety Management In Malaysia Construction Industry

Health and safety is an attitude , a frame of mind. It is the awareness of ones environment and actions. It is knowing what is
going on and how to do it.
Regulations, standards and practices in Malaysia relevant to construction industry:
a-OSH :
b-DOSH :
c-JKKP :
d-CIDB :
e-OSHA :
f-FMA
:
g-BOWECS :
h-OHSAS 18001 :
i-SHASSIC:
i-SHO :
j-SSS :
k-Green Book :
l-Yellow Book :
m-Green Card :

Occupational Safety & Health

Department Of Occupational Safety & Health
Jabatan Keselamatan & Kesihatan Pekerjaan
Construction Industry Development Board
Occupational Safety & Health Act 1994
Factories & Machineries Act 1967
Factories & Machinery (Building Operation & Works Of Engineering Construc tion Safety 1986
Occupational Health & Safety Accreditation Series 18001 1999
Safety And Health Assessment System In Construction
Safety And Health Officer
Site Safety Supervisor
SHO Passport issued by DOSH
SSS Passport issued by DOSH
ID for construction workers issued by CIDB

Hazards In construction Industry can be breakdown to below and the list is not exhaustive:
a-Chemical (Dust, Vapor, Gas)
b-Physical (Noise, Radiation, Temperature, Lightning)
c-Biological (Bacteria, Fungus, Mould)
d-Psychosocial (Work demand, Shift work, Stress)
e-Mechanical (Falls, Entanglements)
f-Electrical (Direct contact, Electrostatic)
g-Ergonomic (Repetitive work, Lift/handling, etcs)
h-Social disputes (racial tenses,etcs)
i-Crimes of theft and incur injuries (police cases, etcs)
The basic framework in planning, monitoring and control for health & safety in construction is to take adequate measures in
addressing the level of awareness throughout the construction processes from the local regulations and enforcing the
implementation into routines guided by a dedicated personnels namely OSH team lead by Health & Safety Officer.
The below cycles of routine are best practice to the current directives, namely:
a) HI
:
Hazard Identification
b) RA
:
Risk Assessment
c) RC
:
Risk control
The above in brief is to identify hazards that could reasonably be expected to cause significant harm by using standard
checklist, walk through survey, brainstorming sessions, systematic studies HAZOP, signages including observation &
comparison. Risk assessment shall map clearly the next action of control as per below sugesstions:
a-Elimination of the hazard
b-Substitution of the hazard
c-Isolation of the hazard by separating people from it
c-Control of the hazard by engineering
d-Control by applying safe work protocol
e-Provision of training and information
f-Provision of personal protective equipment
In Malaysias construction industry, knowing the construction phases and processes, the integration of health and safety can be
captured at:
a-Contract specification:
legal requirement, management systems, standard rules and regulations, requirement for safety manager, health & safety
plan, safety equipments, training, first-aid , welfare of workers and security.
b-Standard rules and regulations:
colour coding system on safety helmets, pipe policy, visitors policy, safety manager , health & safety plan, safety induction
& training , hospital /clinic/first-aid room, welfare of workers and security.
c-Periodic health and safety meetings:
indicate a liable team led by a health & safety manager to make (a) and (b) accountable in monitoring and supervision namely
workplace inspections and maintaining records.

The frequency of inspections and audits is recorded at health & safety diary and it is a every day task during the period of
construction.
A typical contract records on health and safety diary shall reflects the following directives of the records:
a-Risk assessment (HIRARC)
b-Health & Safety Plan
c-Contract documents
d-Health & safety inspection reports
e-Minutes of safety & site meetings
f-Incidents & accidents investigation reports
g-Monthly performance reports
h-Non-conformance reports
i-Photographs & test results
j-Site instructions
The health & safety diary should be accessible to the client/owner, contractor head office and contractor project office due to
the sharing responsibility.
At the level of authorised-access-personnels, a policy of health and safety management need to be well establish to
communicate and acknowledge the measures taken as per record in the health & safety diary.
This performance indicators shall be rated against due-dilligence and handling-care in reference to:
a-HSSE policy
b-Safety committee
c-SHO , SSS & Designated person
d-Statutory notification
e-Safe work procedure
f-HSSE meeting
h-Method Statement
i-Permit to work
j-Security & welfare arrangement
k-Induction & training
l-Promotion
m-Inspection & audit
n-Environmental arrangement
o-Documentation
The list of pointers shall serve as turning points when issues arises and further actions are needed to ensure the health &
safety are handle adequately.
A recent interview recall a success story on health & safety management has been recorded on issue regarding crime theft and
injuries at construction site and it is a lesson learned. Issue of thefts are very common at construction especially on electrical
cables. The vandals did not stop at the electric cables only but also cause injuries to the security. A solution of using IP-CCTV
and push-button alarm hidden to the access of the security had stop the theft for the second time. This solution can be of
benefits to the respective parties and the cost/benefit ratio is worth the effort. In addition, the access of real time monitoring
also make possible for the respective clients/owners/consultants to monitor the progress on site at their convenient or during
tight schedule of attending other projects as well regardless of locations.
All in all, all of this efforts has make a sum of good impacts to the construction industry and in a way improve the way of
construction these days.Eventhough Malaysia still has long way to go in the integration of health and safety management in
construction, statistic report from SHASSIC has shown an improvement over the years on giving the ratings of 4-5 stars to the
diligence contractors.

References:
1-Contech Magazine 2014, CIDB Malaysia
2-Safety First In Construction Industry , Major Ir. Kamarulzaman Bin Musa
3-Act 127, Environment Quality Act 197
4-Act 446 Workers Minimun Standards Of Housing And Amenities
5-CIDB Malaysia (2004) Tinjauan Industri Binaan 2001-2002
6-CREAM (2011) Report On The Current State Of Local And Foreign Workforce In Malaysian Construction Site
7-Department Of Immigration Malaysia, April 2010
8-Occupational Safety Health Act 1994
9-Interview (Safety Site Officer : Mr. Abdul Rahim) Bousted Building & Materials