| Azlan Othman |
CONSTRUCTION site accidents are on the rise in the country. A total of 68 cases were recorded last year, up by eight cases compared to 2015.
However, fatalities at construction sites have declined to four cases last year, compared to nine in 2015. Three death cases have been recorded so far this year.
The figures were revealed by Deputy Minister of Development, Dato Seri Paduka Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Ghafar while speaking at the HSSE Construction Conference held in conjunction with Buildex 2017 at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas yesterday
According to statistics from the International Labour Organisation (ILO), 6,300 worldwide deaths occur each day due to job-related accidents and work-related illnesses.
In Brunei Darussalam, the two highest types of accidents recorded are ‘fall from height’ and ‘struck by falling object’.
According to the construction industry average, the country has posted work-related fatality amounting to 4.5 per 100,000 workers in 2015, down to 2.0 in 2016.
In the United Kingdom, the rate stood at 0.48 for 100,000 workers by 2015.
“This country needs to work hard to fix this problem. It is therefore important that we jointly cultivate a healthy and safe work place to reduce these accidents and death cases to achieve the target of the ministry to zero death,” the deputy minister said.
He added, “Workplace health and safety culture is one of the primary objectives in the Ministry of Development. I am grateful that the Public Works Department launched their own Occupational Health and Safety Management System (OHSMS) manual to streamline all its activities within international standards.
With the manual in place and with OHSMS implemented properly from top management down to all level of employees, he said the safety standards within the department will be raised significantly into another level that will result in a culture of prevention.
He continued, “This great effort will not succeed if not taken seriously by all parties. We also urge all agencies to establish and implement their OHSMS to ensure compliance to legal obligation and to show commitment to safety and health of their workers and stakeholders.
“A focus on safety and health puts people first and that is the right thing to do. I was informed that the three-day conference started with visits to four landmarks of Brunei’s construction projects. The site visit will be beneficial to all participants as it showcases HSSE management system being practised in Brunei.
“The site visits include Temburong Bridge, Mengkubau Dam, Ulu Tutong Dam and Pulau Muara Besar Bridge. I thank all parties involved in making sure the visits run well and provide valuable knowledge to the participants.”
The three-day conference covers topics such as raising safety concerns and bringing international best practices to Brunei; importance of health in HSSE management; sharing experience in managing HSSE risk in the construction industry and fire safety risk assessment.
Delegates attending this event also experienced a scaffolding demonstration by a leading training providers in Brunei.
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