Monday, May 4, 2009

World OSH Day in conjunction with Labour Day 2009

NIOSH wishes to remind both employers and employees to regard occupational safety and health as a human right issue.

The right to work in a safe and healthy environment, free from accidents is also the fundamental right of every employee.

Employees and workers have a fundamental right to safety and also have an obligation to work safely too.

The theme for WORLD OSH DAY 2009 is “HEALTH & LIFE AT WORK – A Basic Human Right.”

Lee Lam Thye said this when commenting on Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Najib Tun Razak speech today (2/5/2009) in conjunction with HARI PEKERJA 2009 in Bukit Jalil.

Preserving human health is a key objective of social security, promoting and creating a safety and health culture can save lives and reduce costs to society.

NIOSH is proud to play its role to promote the right to productive work in conditions of human dignity, safety and health.

All workers are entitled to safe and healthy working conditions, as articulated in international human rights instruments, regardless of whether they be involved in fieldwork, in the office or other workplace settings.

It is essential for employers and employees to be fully committed to workplace safety. The government, employers and employees must be committed to achieving a work culture that ensures safety and health. It must be emphasized that there should be no compromise on safety and health at the workplace.

Increasingly, the promotion of safer conditions in the workplace is based on promoting a culture of risk and accidents prevention which can improve the health of workers and the productivity of the enterprise.

The overall responsibility for providing a safe and healthy working environment rests with the employers who should demonstrate their commitment to OSH.

This can be done by building and maintaining a preventive safety and health culture that address the principles of prevention, hazard identification, risk assessment and control, information and training, while workers have a duty to cooperate with the employer in implementing this OSH programme.

Mat Rempit

Various parties have expressed serious concern over the issue of Mat Rempit, snatch thefts, robberies and other criminal activities involving youngsters drawn into illegal racing.

Hardly a day goes by without some reports or incidents of members of public being victimized by these misfits of society.

Several concerned individuals have written to the media to express their anger and torment over the issue, particularly those who have fallen victims to these violent youths and their hooligan acts.

While the police should be commended for mounting various dangerous operations against these Mat Rempit – with some police personnel sustaining serious injuries – it would appear that the law enforcers have not been able to put an end to the dare-devil stunts of these misguided youngsters.

With most of those Mat Rempit in the age group of 15 to 19 years the question that needs to be asked is what has happened to parental guidance to these youngsters.

The Government and the Cabinet in particular must take effective and appropriate action to tackle and find on enduring solution to the Mat Rempit menace.

In my view we need to find out the root cause of the Mat Rempit problem. Is it because they come from broken homes and lack parental counseling.

Or is it because they do not have proper places to relax and release their energies or tension?

If this is true then the government needs to provide more sports facilities and more recreational spaces for our youths and teenagers. We need more football fields, more badminton and basketball courts, more affordable sports amenities for the young. There should be more spaces for games and sports in our cities and towns.

In this regard, our Housing and Local Government Ministry as well as the respective State Governments should ensure that all local authorities provide adequate sports amenities in our cities, towns and districts to help produce healthy bodies and minds and our teenagers will not turn to be Mat Rempit or involve in negative activities.

The Government should also review all relevant legislation to strengthen law enforcement and deal with Mat Rempit and illegal racing effectively.

Among other proposals that could be considered should include classifying repeat Mat Rempit offenders as juvenile delinquents who should then be sent to a reform school like that of the Henry Gurney Schools where they will be provided with counseling and skills training.

For parents who neglect their responsibility in disciplining and guiding their children who are under their care, perhaps there is a basis for parents to be imposed bonds for good behaviour of their kids.