KOTA KINABALU: Alliance for a Safe Community Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye reminds all workplaces that the Occupational Safety and Health Amendment Act 2022 (OSHA 2022) takes effect today, June 1, 2024.
Under this Amendment Act, he said workers have the right to remove themselves from the workplace if they find it unsafe to work.
Lee said the Occupational Safety and Health Act was first introduced in 1994 to address safety issues at the workplace.
The OSHA Amended Act passed by Parliament in 2022 aims to provide a higher standard of safety, health, and welfare to the workers, he said in a statement today.
He said that the key changes in the amended OSHA are:
It requires employers to appoint one employee as a qualified and trained Occupational Safety and Health Co-ordinator (OSH-C) if there are five or more workers at the workplace to look into all risks and safety issues at the workplace.
Higher fines (RM50,000 to RM500,000) for employers or principals who fail to comply with the amended OSHA.
Additional duties on employers towards ensuring the safety and well-being of their employees.
Increase protection for workers or employees as the scope and applicability of the amended OSHA have been extended to all workplaces throughout Malaysia, including the public service and statutory authorities.
He said It has been 30 years since the introduction of OSHA in 1994, which covers the philosophy of self-regulation. Many views and suggestions have been put forward to the Ministry of Human Resources for improvement to the Act, and this has resulted in the introduction of the amended Act.
Ensuring a safe workplace involves both employers and employees, he added.
“While employees have a duty to comply with all the safety rules and regulations, employers have a responsibility to ensure a safe work system through safety education and training.
“A safe workplace will create a more conducive work environment and make their employees more productive, and this will bring better profitability to the organisation,” he added.
