BINTULU: Lack of understanding and awareness of the importance of occupational safety and health (OSH) aspects among employers and employees of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) is one of the contributing factors to an increase in workplace accidents involving SMEs.
Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh) Bintulu chief Mohamad Azril Abdul Jalil said based on statistics from the Social Security Organisation (Socso) in 2018, nearly 62 percent of workplace accidents involved SMEs.
He said the department had taken several initiatives to help by offering free courses in view of the important role they played in the country’s economic
development.
One of the programmes that were implemented is the Door-to-Door programme, a four-year-long visit to SMEs in an effort to help employers improve their OSH management to comply with the Factories and Machinery Act 1967 and the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.
“Since our Bintulu office opened in 2012, 79 SMEs from various sectors have benefited from the programme,” said Mohamad Azril during a dialogue session held recently.
A total of 20 manufacturers and 33 SMEs employees attended the one-day event.
