KUALA LUMPUR: The Social Security Organisation (Socso) today launched "Ops Cegah 2023", an employer-friendly approach to raise awareness of workplace accidents.
Socso chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed said under the programme, Perkeso and its strategic partners would be visiting more than 1,000 companies nationwide to meet with its top management.
"The employers listed have been identified as the organisations that recorded the highest number of accidents based on the list of Top 100 companies nationwide and Top 20 in the areas that they operated in last year.
"Like last year, we will approach the top management of the listed companies to provide guidance and information for them to implement prevention steps to reduce occupational accidents involving their employees," he said.
Azman said the sole purpose of Ops Cegah 2023 was to spread the message that occupational accidents must be taken into account, as employees were valuable assets to their organisations, the country and their own families.
He said that Ops Cegah 2023, with the theme "Kebersamaan Mengurangi Risiko Kecederaan dan Kematian Pekerja" (Reducing the Risk of Worker Injury and Death Together), would be implemented beginning today until March 22.
"Socso hopes that this approach will be able to help promote a culture of occupational accident prevention in every company in this country.
"This will help improve the welfare of the working class, stimulate the productivity of the organisation and set the economic development of the country," said Azman in his speech.
Based on Socso's data, it recorded as many as 72,149 occupational accident cases nationwide last year, compared to 56,990 cases in 2021.
The increase of 26.6 per cent was due to the reopening of many sectors of the economy after the Covid-19 pandemic.
Last year, 26 companies managed to exit the Top 100 list of companies with highest occupational accidents while commuting for work purposes.
According to Socso's data, there has been a decrease in occupational accidents while commuting to and from work compared to the previous year.
"Thirty-two companies have successfully removed themselves from the Top 100 list of companies of highest occupational industrial accidents list, with a record of six to 80 per cent decline in industrial accident rates.
The event also saw the presentation of certificates of appreciation to successful employers who have lowered their rates of occupational accidents in 2022 based on Ops Cegah 2022.
The strategic partners for this initiative include the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, the police, the Malaysian Institute of Road Safety, the Malaysian Employers Federation and the Road Transport Department.