He said the medium-term master plan for five years would improve the level of safety and health at the workplace by reducing the rate of accidents, deaths and disease infection which would help the government enhance the people’s well-being.
“This plan was formulated after taking into consideration the current working scenario which has changed. Today, the home of each Malaysian Family is also a workspace. Similarly in cafes, stalls and restaurants.
“Practising safe work culture is essential for all of us,” he said in his speech when launching OSCHMP25 which was held virtually today.
Ismail said the master plan outlined seven key strategies. They are: the empowerment of occupational safety and health (OSH) in the public sector; strengthening self-regulation practice at the workplace; encouraging OSH education and research; empowering occupational health; better OSH compliance in small and medium industries; boosting OSH through technology; and improving OSH on work-related road safety, informal sector and future jobs, he said.
He hoped the commitment of all parties, including the government, employers and workers, would ensure the mission to elevate OSH is implemented successfully in line with the theme of OSHMP25 – “OSH Inclusive-Equality and Commitment”.
“The direct effects of neglecting OSH will see the country experiencing 4% losses in gross domestic product revenue per year. Nonetheless, what is prioritised by the government is to prevent the loss of lives of the Malaysian Family,” he said.
Ismail said the Covid-19 pandemic which hit the country has not only threatened public health but also had an impact in economic and social aspects.
“Moving forward, we need to weather the increasingly competitive global environment as a result of the pandemic. It requires a drastic transition to the new normal at the workplace such as working from home with more online activities,” he said.
Nonetheless, he said, working from home has exposed workers to the safety and health risks such as problems relating to ergonomics, among them on body posture when using the computer or gadget, and getting exposed to psychosocial problems, especially on mental stress and weak social interaction, particularly after being confined at home for so long.
Meanwhile, deputy human resources minister Awang Hashim said OSHMP25 was a continuation of OSHMP15 and OSHMP2020.
Awang, who is also national council for occupational safety and health chairman, said among the achievements of OSHMP2020 was the reduction of the accident rate to 2.18 for every 1,000 workers.
The occupational death rate also fell by 45% which was 2.09 for every 10,000 workers last year compared with 3.83 the year before, he said.
According to him, there were 32,674 occupational accidents recorded in the country last year with 312 of them involving fatalities.
“Among the main objectives of OSHMP25 is to reduce the country’s accident rate at the workplace. With full commitment as well as the combined efforts by employers, the government and workers, the master plan can achieve its objectives,” Awang said.