ALOR GAJAH: As many as 92.5 per cent of the 3,021 construction sites inspected by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) in the first five months of this year, did not comply with the regulations set, said Human Resource Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot. He said in this regard, within the same period, DOSH had issued 2,797 notices, 72 compounds, and brought 63 cases to court.
“It is not a small number, it is something that really concerns us, of course stern action will be taken against them (those who do not obey the rules).
“In relation to that, my ministry especially through DOSH, will continue to closely monitor the 4,682 construction sites which are currently active throughout the country, including conducting spot checks,” he told reporters here yesterday.
Riot had earlier visited the construction site of the shopping mall where one of the floors being built collapsed, on June 22 in Pulau Sebang, here.
In the 2.15pm incident, three construction workers – two Myanmar nationals and an Indonesian, all in their 20s, were killed, while six other workers from Myanmar were injured, with three of them in serious conditions. Commenting on the incident, Riot said initial investigations showed that there were various safety and security offences committed by the contractor.
“Among those (offences) we detected were the absence of a site security supervisor, and there were support structures used that were inappropriate, and probably there may be a problem in terms of the quality of building materials used.
“However this is only an initial investigation, the forensic teams involved will study the causes of this incident, and we are analysing all the aspects involved using a variety of methods, including by means of laboratory tests,” he said. He said the contractor would only be allowed to continue with the project once all the safety regulations, particularly involving workers, were duly complied with. — Bernama