DOSH asks employers to follow the safety guidelines during inclement weather

Preventive communications that alert businesses and employers of the threats that the current unfavorable weather trend—thunder, lightning, and heavy rain—poses to site workers should be encouraged. Such communications should be delivered to employer associations, industry sector organizations, and haulage representatives in addition to the local press. Keep the topic in the public’s consciousness by communicating about workplace safety and health through these organizations in addition to the media. The DOSH has also taken the chance to outline the legal repercussions for organizations that fail to recognize hazards, associated risks, and controls. Some industrial sectors may be more vulnerable to external environmental dangers than others, but during thunder, lightning, and heavy rain, workers in all industries should be considered at risk.

The comments in this DOSH notification that make reference to the pertinent laws and employers’ responsibilities to prevent non-compliance are also praiseworthy. Government entities are also urged to heed this recommendation from DOSH under upcoming changes to the Occupational Safety & Health legislation. The majority of businesses are now required by upcoming changes to Malaysia’s OSH regulations to hire OSH specialists (either internally or externally), and many smaller businesses are also required to designate an OSH Coordinator. Despite this duty, company or business leaders must realize that effective OSH management requires them to “lead the Safety & Health efforts,” albeit under the strict supervision of trained, experienced OSH Officers/Managers who are working alongside them.

Abdicating OSH leadership duties will not work and will only lead to mediocre or subpar OSH performance, which will manifest itself in unneeded and unpleasant situations. Occupational Safety & Health (OSH) regulation is now undergoing changes. Therefore, according to the law, not all workplaces are subject to employee risk, and financial sanctions for non-compliance are useless. All workplaces will be subject to the law when the OSH 2021 (amendment) Bill is officially converted into law (OSH 2022 (amendment) Act), at which point penalties will be noticeably harsher. Organizations should prepare in advance to fully comply with the amended laws’ requirements and avoid setting a bad example.

Companies should anticipate DOSH to take a tough stance when an incident arises as a result of negligence or subpar risk prevention management due to their limited resources, which affects “proactive workplace enforcement cover.” Workers on construction sites who are threatened by lightning strikes are unlikely to seek cover until the hazard is severe, which may be too late. Therefore, who should give instructions to site workers to seek cover or switch to tasks that don’t put them at danger of injury during bad weather?

The project time schedule is typically the responsibility of individuals with the power to stop work, transfer frontline personnel to cover or alternative, less dangerous tasks. In terms of the safety of site workers and adverse weather, site supervisors should have the authority to make judgments. OSH issues are seen by many business leaders, particularly SME’s, as a “chore” and less exciting than activities or tasks that generate revenue. Business leaders may feel overburdened while managing the safety and health of their employees, but this does not have to be the case if an intelligent approach to OSH is implemented. The “exposure a firm leaves itself with” if a less than strict approach is adopted to maintaining employee safety and well-being on a regular basis is undeniable.