THE annual Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Conference was held at the KVMRT Training Centre, Sungai Buloh on 17 – 18 April 2018 in conjunction with the World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2018. The conference was organised in collaboration with Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Putrajaya with ‘Prevention of Incidents’ selected as the theme.

Attendees of the conference included employees of Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp), DOSH, Department of Environment (DOE), Work Package Contractors (WPC) for the MRT Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP) Line and MMC-Gamuda KVMRT (PDP SSP) Sdn Bhd the Project Delivery Partner for the project.

Kicking off the conference, Encik Muzakkir Ab Lafit from the Malaysia Energy Commission gave a talk about Electrical Safety. He focused on the Electricity Supply (Amendment) Act 2015.

The objective of the talk was to enhance the safety of consumers and industry personnel through the implementation of safety management systems. With this in place, industry experts are aware about electrical safety standards and requirements.

The next speaker for the day was DOSH Building Construction Division Director Encik Nazruddin Mat Ali. Nazruddin started his presentation by showcasing statistics of world-tower crane accidents. He mentioned that the highest percentage of accidents is from erection-dismantling-climb processes. The percentage rate of this is high as several external factors that are uncontrollable such as weather conditions.

Besides that, he mentioned that crane managers need to have permission to install and ensure that the design of it meets the legislation as this is the key to safety. Requirements need to be approved by DOSH prior to works beginning.

In his welcoming remarks during the launch, MRT Corp Centralised Labour Quarters, Health, Environment, Safety and Security Head Encik Mohd Yusof Kasiron took to the floor to say a few words on behalf of MRT Corp. He explained the efforts by the organisation in ensuring safety standards are being maintained at a high level.

The guest of honour, DOSH Deputy Director General Ir Kormain Mohd Noor of whom officiated the event presented a speech thanking MRT Corp for his invitation to today’s event. The organisation’s efforts in raising awareness of safety and health at work is pivotal in ensuring that workplace safety is managed. This is line with the Government of Malaysia’s (GoM) agenda in reducing the incidents and accidents at the workplace. Efforts like these, can be seen as steps taken to make Malaysia, a developed country by 2020.

He then presented the training module of Tower Train Management to Yusof, which will be the module used to train MRT workers at site.

Prize presentations for various competitions leading up to the OSH Day was also conducted during the event. There were competitions organised for MRT Corp employees and as well as competitions that involved the PDP and WPCs. Aim for these competitions was to increase awareness about safety components of the project.

After lunch, DOSH Building Construction Safety Division Analyst Encik Azman Hussain explained the Guidelines of OSH in Construction Industry Management. The guidelines that had been set by GoM is fundamental to future construction legislation. This will also enable the industry to improve its OSH performance.  An example of a viaduct toppled during a construction was shown to the attendees of the conference. Azman had highlighted the elements could have been done to learn from the tragedy. Amongst it is to constantly consult works and engaging them to promote and develop effective measures to ensure safety, health and welfare.

An interesting topic was then presented by Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) Occupational Disease Unit Medical & Rehabilitation Department Manager Dr Edrin Nazri Abdul Rasib on Stress at Work. Here, he described the different stress situations at workplace. There are different factors that make people stressed at work such as strong demands, life transitions, timing and lack of control. Tips and advice in coping with stress were also explained by Edrin.

Concluding formalities for the first day of the OSH Day Conference, Universiti Teknologi MARA Department of Quantity Surveying Puan Izatul Farrita Mohd Kamar talked about her paper entitled ‘Development of Safety and Health Costs Model for the Construction of Urban Rail Projects.’ Her study aims to identify the safety and prevention items that are seen to be significant for railway projects. She used the MRT Project as her case study for her paper. Izatul managed to conduct research on the direct costs that are incurred to the project. Direct costs are seen as costs incurred from accidents. On the other hand, indirect costs are defined as cost items that are not covered by worker’s compensation.

Beginning the second day of the conference, CIDB Malaysia Quality and Safety Manager Puan Mazurah Ismail provided an overview of the Safety and Health Assessment System in Construction (SHASSIC). Construction projects are bound by the Construction Industry Standard CIS 10:2008 which is a safety and health assessment system in construction. The objective of this is to have a common standard for safety assessment and health for contractors in the construction industry. It will also act as a standard guideline for contractors to ensure that safety and health needs are met at the construction site.

The next presenter was CIDB Malaysia Consultant Encik Mazlan Ismail as he explained the history about SHASSIC. Prior to 2007, there was no safety measurement to ensure that project would be safe. There was no quantitative method. With SHASSIC in place, performance of contractors on the safety and health practices at site are able to be evaluated. A standardised system on safety and health assessment in the construction industry has also been set due to this. He also explained the OSH policy and the guidelines that are needed to be met to comply with the policy. Awareness to the workers are key to ensure that the workplace is safe thus having appropriate reminders such as notices are advised.

A test was then set out for the attendees of the conference to test their knowledge about SHASSIC.

This two-day conference was seen as a success and all the attendees were then presented with participation certificates. Conferences like these help MRT Corp and its partners to showcase the importance of safety in the project.