The annual Klang Valley Mass Rapid Transit (KVMRT) Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Conference was organised by Malaysia Rapid Transit Corporation Sdn Bhd (MRT Corp) at the KVMRT Training Centre, Sungai Buloh on 2 and 3 May 2019.

“Safety And Health And The Future Of Work” was the theme of this 2019 edition of the conference and attendees included employees of MRT Corp, the Department of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH), the Department of Environment (DOE), the Work Package Contractors for the MRT Sungai Buloh-Serdang-Putrajaya (SSP) Line and MMC-Gamuda KVMRT (PDP) Sdn Bhd.

MRT Corp Head of Central Labour Quarters, Health, Environment, Safety and Security (CHESS), Encik Azhar Sofah delivered an opening speech to kick-off the first day where he welcomed all the participants and attendees of this year’s KVMRT OSH Conference.

The first presentation of the day was given by Tuan Ir Dr Mohd Fairuz Ab Rahman from DOSH, on the topic, “Dasar Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Negara 2019, Menjamin Masa Depan Pekerja”. He explained that the policy aims to increase the level of OSH through sustainable risk management at the workplace in protecting employers and workers in Malaysia. It is seen as the turning point to change the OSH landscape in the country.

After the morning break, Prof Dr Shamsul Bahri Hj Mohd Tamrin from Universiti Putra Malaysia presented on “Ergonomic Improvement in Construction Site – Case Study”. He rationalised that it is gradually becoming clear to the society that systems and products would have to be designed to take into account many human and environmental factors if they are to be used safely and effectively, construction industry included.

The launching ceremony was next in the agenda.  It began with a speech by MRT Corp Chief Executive Officer, Encik Abdul Yazid Kassim, who lauded the MRT Corp Standard and Compliance Division for their effort in championing safety in the Project and inadvertently the infrastructure industry.

DOSH Director General, Tuan Ir Haji Omar Mat Piah then officiated the KVMRT OSH Conference 2019 followed by a prize giving ceremony for a number of competitions leading up to the conference and other OSH programmes in conjunction with the celebration of World Day for Safety and Health at Work 2019.  In his speech, Omar commended MRT Corp on its commitment in organising these activities as they are a reflection of the organisation’s commitment in ensuring working environment is safe and healthy.

The conference continued after a lunch break with a sharing session led by Encik Muhammad Nor Hadi Kasah of MRT Corp CHESS Manager, where the anecdotes shared by the injured persons involved in the KVMRT Project highlighted the importance of safety and health measures, for the wellbeing of both employer and employees.

Puan Nurul Nadia Md Arif from Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) concluded the first day of the conference with a presentation on the topic “Return to Work Scheme, Assurance for Workers Future”. She explained that the scheme is an incentive to motivate and encourage workers to seek solutions with the objective to return to work in a fast and safe manner. She added that SOCSO provides physical and vocational rehabilitation facilities, which also include mileage claims and travel expenses.

The second day of the KVMRT OSH Conference 2019 saw 6 participants presenting papers on safety and health.  The presentations were part of a competition, which was open to all personnel involved in the SSP Line Project. Held from 15 until 24 April 2019, the contest provided an opportunity to contestants to present their original ideas in a comprehensive way. The papers presented were chosen from 14 topics given.

The panel of judges for the competition were Azhar, Encik Syahmarul Zulaihan Marlap, Assistant Manager, MRT Corp CHESS and Mr Steven Gary Walton, MMC-Gamuda KVMRT (PDP) Sdn Bhd Head of Safety, Health and Environment.

The first-place winner went to Encik Prashnan A/L Narayanan from MMC-Gamuda KVMRT (PDP) Sdn Bhd with a paper titled “Mental Health and Simple Ways to Reduce Work Stress”.

Encik Rosli Ahmad from MMC-Gamuda KVMRT (PDP) Sdn Bhd won second place with a presentation on “Safety and Health Planning, How to Improve Existing HIRADC Process in Our Project” while the third place belonged to Puan Norazreen Samsuri from MRT Corp with a paper titled “Ergonomics Awareness, Equipment Assisting Manual Handling”.

The rest of the participants, who received consolation prizes, were Encik Anto Jos Menachery from MRT Corp, Encik Khairul Nizam Aris and Captain (R) Ibrahim Hamid, both from Sapura EVD Consortium.

The conference ended with a group photo as a token of remembrance of the KVMRT OSH Conference 2019.