KUALA LUMPUR: The Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) reminded industry players to put safety first in their respective construction projects.
This was in light of the recent collapse of the unfinished building at the Gombak LRT Terminal in Taman Melati which saw two Indonesian workers killed. Their bodies were discovered under a pile of rubble, and they were believed to have been crushed by falling iron beams.
Three other workers were also reportedly injured as a result of the incident.
CIDB chief executive Datuk Ir Ahmad 'Asri Abdul Hamid said safety is paramount in construction, and all parties involved, including clients, consultants and contractors must be collectively responsible in ensuring structural safety during and after construction works.
“This incident again highlights why improving safety in the Malaysian construction industry is crucial.
“The industry has recorded a worrying increase of construction site deaths over the past few years despite the targeted reduction set by the Construction industry Transformation Plan 2016-2020 (CITP).
“Amongst the CITP targets is to mandate the Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry Management (OSHCIM) under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994,” said 'Asri.
He said with OSHCIM, all stakeholders in a project – from conception to completion – will share the responsibility for ensuring the health and safety of the entire project life cycle.
“In fact, the client or project owner, as the project originators will be held ultimately responsible,” he said.
He added that CIDB is investigating the incident under the CIDB Act (Act 520).
According to section 34B(1)(c) of the CIDB Act, contractors are responsible for ensuring the safety of the building and of construction works, both during and after the construction phase.
Section 34D(1) of the CIDB Act (Act 520), states that any contractor who breaches his duty under paragraph 34B(1)(c), and which breach results in death, shall be guilty of an offence and shall, on conviction, be liable to a fine not exceeding RM500,000 or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years or to both.
“As part of CIDB’s efforts to ensure contractors and site managers fulfil their responsibility to have sufficient safety measures for construction work, CIDB conducts routine Act 520 enforcement inspections across the nation,” said 'Asri.
Previously, Tuck Sin Engineering & Construction Sdn Bhd, a contractor for the KL Eco City Link Bridge project was fined RM250,000 for breaching Section 34D(1) of the CIDB Act. In the incident, a worker died as a result of the collapsed pedestrian bridge.
Meanwhile, Justra Sdn Bhd, a contractor for a Mydin hypermarket project in Alor Gajah was fined RM100,000 by the Sessions Court for the offence of failing to ensure safety during construction; causing the death of three foreign workers in June 2014.
In 2018, CIDB had conducted a total of 3,401 construction site/premise inspections, 798 construction material inspections, and opened 1,068 investigation papers.
In 2018, a total of 1,053 compounds were issued to 298 companies and 755 construction personnel for various offences, totalling RM 2.8 million.