KUALA LUMPUR: Safety measures at construction sites should be incentivised and regarded as part of profit and not a cost.
Most of the times, injuries and fatalities at construction sites are due to a lackadaisical attitude towards safety.
“We’ve previously suggested for a separate sum to be provided in construction contracts (not to be tendered) for safety and health practices. Unfortunately, many still see this as increasing project costs,” said Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) president Foo Chek Lee.
This mindset must change because safety at construction sites should be regarded as part of profit and not a cost, he said.
Employers should regularly identify the hazard, assess the risk and work on risk mitigation controls before the start of any construction activities.
Employees must also be properly trained to execute safety measures throughout their tasks based on the current benchmarks — MS1722 and OHSAS 18001.
“When we talk about getting more construction projects incorporating the Industrialised Building System, it would mean contractors using more heavy machinery, such as cranes, tower cranes and other lifting equipment, assemble building components at the site,” he added.
Foo said Malaysia’s construction industry was facing a shortage of competent crane and tower crane operators as there were not enough locals to fill the gap.
According to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health’s ruling, only Malaysians can obtain the certificate of competency in operating cranes.
Foo said it was wrong and dangerous to engage illegal crane and tower crane operators.
Relatively, he said, heavy machinery usage required a bigger pool of skilled workforce. “Unfortunately, Malaysians are shying away from this field despite crane operators’ salary ranging between RM4,000 and RM6,000 monthly for basic pay, not including overtime.”
He added: “Although some foreign workers might be certified in their home country, no one can determine how well they were trained and how familiar they are with the cranes and tower cranes here.
“The operator and site safety officer has to check on the crane in his daily walkabout. There is a checklist for this and we have issued several guidebooks to raise safety awareness,” he said.
Meanwhile, as Malaysia reported increasing cases of mosquito-borne diseases such as Dengue and Zika, Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government Minister Tan Sri Noh Omar said the government would make it mandatory for construction sites to install solar mosquito traps.
Those who fail would risk losing their licences, Noh reportedly said, adding that developers were expected to absorb the additional cost.
In response, Foo said putting up mosquito traps would solve only part of the problem, noting that MBAM was advising its members to always keep their site clean and free from water ponding.
“We need to tackle the issue at source to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes,” he said.