Contractors told to furnish safety policy statement

The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health ( NIOSH) wants contractors bidding for contracts to furnish a safety policy statement.

Besides this statement, which would be a system of hazard identification, risk assessment and risk control ( HIRARC), they should also provide information regarding the experience and safety training given to their employees, said NIOSH Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.

Developers had a responsibility to choose competent and safety conscious contractors, and the acceptance of low bidders should not be at the expense of safety and health. He said in a statement.

“ Those who create the risks and hazards are in a better position to manage them. Contractors or sub-contractors should be responsible and be fully committed to quality work, safety standards and practices,” he said.

Lee also said that everyone involved in the construction industry should realize the dire consequences of flouting safety guidelines and cutting corners, poor design, shoddy workmanship and inadequate supervision.

NIOSH called on all industries, particularly the construction industry, to be always sensitive to the demands for safety at the workplace and work towards an accident-free or zero accident target, he said.

The advice by NIOSH comes in the wake of public apprehension over the safety of buildings following the collapse of structures, including a section of the roof of a stadium in Trengganu and a building under demolition in Petaling Jaya, Selangor.-Bernama