Malaysian employers mark World Occupational Safety and Health Day

One of the activities organised was a first-ever summit to create awareness about safe and healthy working environments.

Malaysia's Minister of Human Resources V. Sivakumar (pictured above) has officiated the Occupational Safety and Health Summit together with government-linked companies (GLC OSH Summit) 2023, held for the first time on 9 May 2023.

The summit centred around the theme 'a safe and healthy working environment - a fundamental right', in accordance with the theme of the Occupational Safety and Health Master Plan 2021-2025 (OSHMP25) which is 'Inclusive OSH: Togetherness and Commitment'. 

Hosted by Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), the GLC OSH Summit was one of the activities carried out in conjunction with the World Occupational Safety and Health Day 2023 (World OSH Day 2023) on 28 April, which has been declared by the International Labor Organization (ILO) in remembrance and appreciation of workers involved in occupational accidents and diseases.

In his speech, Minister Sivakumar emphasised the role of GLCs in helping Malaysia's economic progress. So far, they have resulted in "a very significant impact".

Deemed "the right wing of the government", Minister Sivakumar highlights GLCs as the main drivers in ensuring the improvement of the national occupational safety and health level through various methods and approaches to instill, implement and practice a prevention culture in the workplace.

"Empowering PPE management among GLCs will not only guarantee the safety and health of all GLC employees but will also set an example for the industry."

Not just for GLCs, he reminded that compliance with Malaysia's Occupational Safety and Health Act is also included in the scope of all ministries, departments, government agencies and federal statutory bodies per General Circular No. 3, Year 2019 - Compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514) and all its regulations.

As Minister Sivakumar further shared in his speech, a total of 21,534 occupational injury cases were recorded throughout Malaysia in 2021 — of these, 301 were fatal. This makes the 2021 occupational injury rate in Malaysia 1.43 per thousand workers, which is a 34% decrease compared to 2020. 

Similarly, the fatal occupational injury rate for the year decreased by 4%, totalling 2 per 100,000 workers compared to 2.09 in the previous year.

Ending his speech, Minister Sivakumar expressed: "It is hoped that this year and the coming years, the trend of occupational accidents in our country will continue to improve. It is my hope that every employer and employee in this country practices a safe and healthy work culture to avoid all disasters."

ALSO READ: World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2023: Resources and reading materials

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Lead image / Kementerian Sumber Manusia Facebook