Latest news with #constructionSafety
Free Malaysia Today
12-06-2025
- Free Malaysia Today
NIOSH wants tighter safety measures at construction sites after Bangsar incident
NIOSH chairman Chong Chieng Jen said preventive steps, such as perimeter fencing, security surveillance and clear warning signage, must be standard at all construction sites. KUALA LUMPUR : The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has urged for improved safety measures at construction sites following the discovery of a British traveller's body at a site in Bangsar recently. NIOSH chairman Chong Chieng Jen said the incident raised questions about how the public could access the area and called for a review of existing safety protocols. 'Construction sites are inherently high-risk and should not, under any circumstances, be accessible to the public,' he said in a statement today. On June 5, police confirmed that the body found the previous day at a construction site in Bangsar was that of the missing 25-year-old British national, last seen on May 27. Chong said Section 15 of the Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act (OSHA) 2022 spells out the duty of employers to ensure the safety, health and welfare of employees at the workplace, while Section 17 emphasises the responsibility to safeguard others present at the site. 'Employers and self-employed individuals are also required, as far as reasonably practicable, to ensure that their operations do not pose safety or health risks to non-employees. 'They must also provide information on any hazards that could affect the safety or health of individuals present at the worksite,' the statement said. Chong reminded developers, contractors and all relevant parties to comply with the Act or risk being fined up to RM500,000, jailed for up to two years, or both. He said that preventive steps, such as effective perimeter fencing, adequate security surveillance, systematic access control, and clear warning signage, must be standard at all construction sites. 'Risk management at construction sites should not only focus on protecting workers, but also on ensuring the safety of the public, especially in densely populated urban areas frequented by tourists,' he said. In addition, NIOSH wants the occupational safety and health department and the Construction Industry Development Board to conduct an immediate and comprehensive investigation to identify any breach of standard operating procedures (SOPs) or provisions under OSHA. Chong added that NIOSH is ready to cooperate with authorities and the industry to promote a stronger safety culture through training, awareness programmes and a better understanding of the OSHA (Amendment) 2022.
South China Morning Post
24-05-2025
- Business
- South China Morning Post
Safety documents for Hong Kong construction sites ‘should require e-signatures'
A Hong Kong construction industry leader has called on professionals to use electronic signatures for safety documents to help prevent fraud, after authorities uncovered a suspected bribery scandal involving a residential project in Kwun Tong. Earlier this week, the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) uncovered subcontractors allegedly offering bribes to supervisors to turn a blind eye towards subpar steel reinforcement works at a residential project handled by real estate giant CK Asset Holdings. Industry veterans on Saturday stressed that the alleged scandal was unacceptable but was likely an isolated incident. Authorities said they found rebar in the concrete of all six buildings at the site failed to comply with approved building plans as it was either missing, displaced, loosely arranged or thinner than required, missing, displaced or loosely arranged. The city's anti-corruption agency also alleged that site supervisors had accepted bribes from a subcontractor in exchange for lenient oversight of subpar construction practices intended to cuts costs and maximise profit. Hong Kong Construction Association vice-president Stephen Lee on Saturday said strict law enforcement was necessary to combat what he called an individual case. He said the industry should use technology to combat fraud and suggest such efforts target professionals who pre-signed safety documents without any thorough on-site checks.
