| James Kon |
THE number of construction site deaths in Brunei has dropped by 55 per cent from nine cases in 2015 to four cases in 2016, according to statistics
However, the number of accident cases in 2016 has increased by 21 per cent to 68 cases compared to 56 cases in 2015.
This means for every 200,000 workers in the country, there is an equivalent of 4.5 work-related fatalities in 2015 and 2.0 in 2016.
This is a very high figure when compared to the industry average and the UK’s figure of 0.96 deaths for every 200,000 workers.
These worrying construction site statistics were revealed by Haji Amer Hishamuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Zakaria, Director-General of the Public Works Department (JKR) in his remarks as the guest of honour for the ‘Safety in Construction Workshop and Forum’ held in conjunction with World Day for Safety and Health 2017 recently.
The one-day workshop, managed by Kathis Management Service, was aimed at promoting and providing awareness on the importance of Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) in construction sites, as well as to foster networking between construction companies in the private sector.
Speaking to a crowded room comprised of local contractors and representatives from international construction companies involved in projects under the JKR as well as the private sector, the Director-General said, “According to data collected by the department’s HSE section, from 61 projects, only 15 contractors (25 per cent of the total contractors) submitted an HSE plan.”
Haji Amer Hishamuddin said that some of the reasons for this lack of HSE plan submission include, “No HSE plan provision in the contract, or delay in submission due to a lack of awareness on the importance of early planning for safety control strategy at construction sites.”
He also stated that, “The preparation of an HSE plan is one of the requirements under the Workplace Safety and Health Order 2009 and Construction Regulations 2014 Part II, and is included in the Occupational Safety and Health Specifications and Bill of Quantities book for submission in JKR projects.”
Haji Amer Hishamuddin delivering his speech
Public Works Director General Haji Amer Hishamuddin bin Pehin Orang Kaya Amar Pahlawan Dato Seri Setia Haji Zakaria with the participants. – PHOTOS: JAMES KON
With an HSE plan, Haji Amer Hishamuddin said, “Accidents can be avoided and injuries can be minimised through the Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) method provided in the HSE plan.”
To ensure Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) practices and standards remain relevant, he stressed that the government must make an effort to provide a stable business environment with robust OSH standards, while at the individual company level, employers and workers must cooperate with each other to promote a healthy and safe working environment, which is a foundation for producing a responsible and productive workforce.
In order to tally and identify the types of non-compliance or non-conformance incidences found, Haji Amer Hishamuddin also revealed that the JKR has begun compiling data from audit and safety assessment works (from 2012 till this year) carried out by the HSE section at construction sites.
The data collected, he added, “Will form the basis of future planning in HSE and help identify priority areas for improvement to gauge the performance of contractors pertaining to safety matters at JKR construction sites.
“Contractors are required to submit Lost Time Injury data for all JKR projects handled and are required to report and notify any incidents, accidents or near misses that have occurred within the construction period.”
The post 21pc rise in construction site accidents in country appeared first on Borneo Bulletin Online.