Rosli Khan said agencies such as the Land Public Transport Agency, Malaysian Highway Authority, Construction Industry Development Board, occupational safety and health department, and local authorities all have roles to play, the Scoop reported.

But Rosli, who has over 30 years of experience in the transport industry, said these bodies often operate in silo, leading to gaps, particularly at project interfaces or in cases where close coordination is critical.

“Moreover, current safety requirements tend to be compliance-based rather than performance- or risk-based.

“This limits their effectiveness in anticipating and mitigating complex, real-world safety issues,” he was quoted as saying.

Rosli said there was a need for a stronger focus on safety monitoring during construction and maintenance, rather than only at the approval or pre-construction stages.

Similarly, Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman’s Bernard Saw said safety responsibilities are often spread across multiple agencies, consultants, and contractors.

He cited the delayed emergency response to the 2021 LRT collision in Kelana Jaya and the highway structure collapse.

“(These incidents) highlight critical gaps in implementation, coordination among agencies, and safety monitoring, especially during construction and early operational phases.”

Both Rosli and Saw agreed that public safety was paramount when rolling out infrastructure projects, and that ignoring such aspects risked damage, increased costs, delays as well as injuries and death.

They also called for mandatory, third-party safety audits for all large-scale public transport infrastructure projects prior to commissioning.

They said these audits must be conducted independently of the contractor and consultant teams, with findings directly influencing final project approvals.