BANGI: The Human Resources Ministry plans to establish a new act to beef up the role of the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Its minister M. Kulasegaran said a study on the matter is currently being done, and is expected to be completed in two months.
“It is time for NIOSH to separate its responsibilities from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH), and become a self-regulatory body under the ministry,” he added.
“DOSH has more crucial roles to play in enforcement, while NIOSH's expertise are in implementing training programmes.”
“Based on our study, we feel that it is appropriate to establish a new act for NIOSH. We will present the findings to the Cabinet for approval,” he said when met at NIOSH's Hari Raya Aidilfitri open house earlier today.
Also present were NIOSH chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye and executive director Ayop Salleh.
Kulasegaran added that NIOSH would be able to play a more important role when it becomes a standalone institution, as far as training programmes are concerned.
“As of now, only 28 per cent of workers in Malaysia are skilled. The government hopes to increase that to 35 per cent by end of 2020.
“The ministry also wants NIOSH to continue to nurture more high quality workers to add to the country’s skilled manpower,” he added.