National Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) chairman Alice Lau Kiong Yieng said there was no issue as Malaysia was prepared and able to manage and control the spread of the Covid-19 infection.

“There is no issue about losing their jobs. Employers need to take the initiative to provide employees with accurate information about Covid-19 so that they do not panic.

“The Asia Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organisation (APOSHO) annual conference also plays a role where it will discuss current issues among participants,” she said after the soft launch of the APOSHO35 Conference here today.

She was commenting on reports citing the Malaysian Employers Federation (MEF) as predicting that the Covid-19 would spiral out of control.

Echoing Lau, human resources ministry deputy secretary-general Maniam Arumugam said that the statement was just predictions not backed up by any statistics.

“So far nobody reported (any job loss) to us. What you heard was not true,” he said.

Meanwhile, in her speech earlier, Lau said APOSHO could play a role in addressing Covid-19 by strengthening and utilising existing networks and collaborations to help governments cope with the situation.

Among others, Lau suggested that APOSHO should work with the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in providing the latest information relating to workers’ protection.

“APOSHO members and health experts should help form an interim guideline to prevent new infections such as Covid-19. These guidelines should cover all types of occupations as well as plans for the transmission of more serious diseases,” she added.

The APOSHO35 conference will be held at Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre from Aug 9 to 12 this year.

Themed “OSH Unity and Sustainability”, APOSHO35 offers a platform for professionals, policymakers and government officials to exchanges ideas, share experiences and initiatives in strengthening cooperation at the national, regional and global levels.