He said the government’s commitment in occupational health and safety (OSH) had improved Malaysia’s image tremendously, when the ministry achieved its target of three cases for every 1,000 workers for this year. 

“Our target is to reduce the number of these occupational accidents to the international benchmark at two cases in every 1,000 workers by 2020. 

“I believe we can achieve this target based on the programmes held annually to ensure safe and healthy working environment,” he told reporters after launching the 18th Conference on Occupational Safety and Health (COSH). 

More than 1,500 delegates from the private and public sectors participated in the three-day conference themed ‘Fostering OSH Culture at the Work Place’ by National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh).

Also present was Niosh chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

He added that statistics indicated that the industrial accident rate had fallen from 5.84 cases per every 1,000 workers in 2004 to 3.1 cases in 2014. 

“This reduction is a reflection of the commitment and joint efforts by the government, employers and employees to reduce workplace accidents,” he said. 

Last year, Malaysia recorded a total of 573 deaths due to work-related accidents, he said, adding that there were 27 deaths recorded as of June this year, compared to 72 in the same period last year in the construction sector. 

Since the biggest challenge was to further reduce the accident rate and foster OSH as a work culture, Riot said the ministry would collaborate with Niosh United States and would sign a memorandum of understanding soon to enhance OSH practices. 

Meanwhile, Lee said Niosh was playing its role to create awareness among the industries with regard to the need for compliance and adoption of safe practices at the work place. 

“In coming years, we will intensify our activities and programmes to focus on the provision of training, consultation, conducting research and development and dissemination of information to industry players,” he said. 

He added that a total of 5,265 training programmes had been conducted for various industries at the Niosh head office and regional offices nationwide last year, adding that fostering OSH culture should start from school to pave the way for students to have a strong foundation on OSH. — Bernama

• Long hair (chin-length or longer) must be tied back to avoid catching fire.
• Wear sensible clothing including footwear. Loose clothing should be secured so they do not get caught in a flame or chemicals.
• Work quietly - know what you are doing by reading the assigned experiment before you start to work. Pay close attention to any cautions described in the laboratory exercises.
• Do not taste or smell chemicals.
• Wear safety goggles to protect your eyes when heating substances, dissecting, etc.
• Do not attempt to change the position of glass tubing in a stopper.
• Never point a test tube being heated at another student or yourself. Never look into a test tube while you are heating it.
• Unauthorized experiments or procedures must not be attempted.
• Keep solids out of the sink.
• Leave your work station clean and in good order before leaving the laboratory.
• Do not lean, hang over or sit on the laboratory tables.
• Do not leave your assigned laboratory station without permission of the teacher.
• Learn the location of the fire extinguisher, eye wash station, first aid kit and safety shower.
• Fooling around or "horse play" in the laboratory is absolutely forbidden. Students found in violation of this safety rule will be barred from particpating in future labs and could result in suspension.
• Anyone wearing acrylic nails will not be allowed to work with matches, lighted splints, bunsen burners, etc.
• Do not lift any solutions, glassware or other types of apparatus above eye level.
• Follow all instructions given by your teacher.
• Learn how to transport all materials and equipment safely.
• No eating or drinking in the lab at any time!

Did You Know? There are many different types of potential hazards in welding and thermal cutting processes. Everyone involved should be aware of what these hazards are. Welding and cutting processes are safe, and the risks from the hazards can be reduced, if they are carried out correctly and with care. Potential hazards need to be identified, measured where appropriate, and assessed, and remedial measures put in place wherever necessary. Although Personal Protective Equipment, PPE, should not be issued as the primary method of reducing a hazard it should be issued to all personnel if beneficial. Employers and employees should be made fully aware of the dangers that can arise and take all reasonable care to ensure the health and safety of all.

Chemical safety has many scientific and technical components. Among these are toxicology, ecotoxicology and the process of chemical risk assessment which requires a detailed knowledge of exposure and of biological effects.

Researchers studied 910 Malaysian women diagnosed with early-stage rheumatoid arthritis and 910 women around the same age not diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, an autoimmune disease that affects joints. The women were asked if they worked in the textile industry and if they had been exposed to chemicals and silica dust, which are connected to an increased risk of developing arthritis. The women were checked for rheumatoid arthritis antibodies – known as ACPA – which are signs of the condition.

The researchers found that 4.5 percent of the women with rheumatoid arthritis were exposed to textile dust, compared with 1.7 percent of the women without the disease. Women exposed to the dust were nearly 3 times as likely to develop the condition as those who had not worked in the textile industry.

Additionally, exposure to textile dust was connected to more than double the risk of having ACPA. Of the women with rheumatoid arthritis, 63 percent tested positive for ACPA and nearly 40 percent had a genetic risk factor that raises the risk of developing the condition. The shape of textile fibers allows them to permeate into the lung, potentially resulting in inflammation. Bacteria in textile dust also can produce toxins that may cause respiratory disease.

Researchers cautioned that the study was observational, so it cannot prove cause and effect, and that properties of textile dust vary. The study focused on women because few men work in the textile industry, and smoking among men is common; smoking is a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis.

“From a public health perspective, our results imply that efforts should be considered to reduce the incidence of rheumatoid arthritis by reducing occupational exposure to textile dust,” researchers wrote in the study.

The study was published online Dec. 17 in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

lying on the ground or jutting out into aisles or because of poorly maintained floor surfaces. Falls can be from ladders or from standing on chairs to reach an object.

Many of these accidents can be avoided by simple planning and good housekeeping.

• Traffic ways and aisles should be well lit, and be kept clear of material, equipment, rubbish and electric leads

• Floor should be level and the use of mats discouraged. Spilled liquids and anything else dropped on the floor should be immediately picked up or cleaned

• Free standing fittings should be completely stable or secured to the wall or floor. Filing cabinets should be placed so that they do not open in to aisles and should never be left with cabinets drawers open. For stability load cabinets starting from the bottom and do not open more than one drawer at a time

• Office machine and equipment should be kept in good working order. Equipment using hand-fed process such as electric staplers and paper guillotines should be guarded and staff trained in their proper use

• Many pieces of equipment using electricity can mean trailing cables, overloaded circuits, broken plugs and sockets. Ensure that these dangers are seen to by qualified personnel

MANUAL HANDLING

Manual handling is a term used to describe everyday type activities such as carrying, stacking, pushing, pulling, rolling, sliding, lifting or lowering loads. For office workers this can include task such as moving boxes of stores, filing, setting equipment from cupboards and filling the photocopying machine with paper.

A common office hazard is the manual movement of loads leading to back injuries and pain in hand, wrist and neck. To reduce the likelihood of these types of accidents the requirements are:

• Remove the need for manual handling that could be the cause of injury

• Identify those tasks where manual handling cannot be avoided and assess the risk of injury

• provided manual handling training to workers who need it (messengers, service attendants etc.) and give them information on the weights being lifted and how to plan a lift

If cabinets, desks or other heavy office equipment have to be moved, do take particular precautions which would include providing hand truck or trollies and using team lifting. More details, please refer to Guidelines on Manual Handling.