| Lyna Mohamad |
THE Ministry of Development (MoD) and its departments are fully committed to ensure safety and health at not only construction sites but also other workplaces.
To prevent any injuries, it is the MoD’s policy to ensure that all work is done with safety as the primary objective and that all persons engaged in this work have a clear responsibility to act positively.
These points were highlighted by the Minister of Development Dato Seri Setia Awang Haji Bahrin bin Abdullah in his opening speech at the opening of the Brunei HSSE Construction Conference 2016 yesterday.
The minister’s speech was delivered on his behalf by Deputy Minister of Development Dato Paduka Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar.
The Public Works Department (JKR) had launched the inaugural Safety and Health Week last year to foster a safe and healthy culture in all workplaces from top management down to all level of employees.
“This means that the senior management and all workforce need to take an active role in practising a preventive culture with respect to occupational safety and health in order to create a safe and healthy environment that would reduce workplace accidents,” said the minister.
In order to upgrade the level of knowledge on occupational safety and health in all workplaces, the MoD had also launched two documents, namely the MoD Health, Safety and Environment (HSE) Manual and Operational Safety and Health (OSH) Specification and Bill of Quantities. But these efforts would be fruitless if they are not taken seriously by all parties, he said.
Deputy Minister of Development, Dato Paduka Awang Haji Suhaimi bin Haji Gafar delivering his welcom-ing speech. – BAHYIAH BAKIR
The minister also mentioned Brunei’s new statutory body, the National HSE Governance and Compliant Authority that was established with the consent of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam, following a Board of Inquiry investigating into an accident involving nine foreign workers at a construction site in 2014.
With all activities related to HSE in Brunei to be handled by the authority, the minister expressed confidence that the new body will lead all the ministries and the private sector in a paradigm shift in HSE and drive Brunei Darussalam towards becoming a safer nation.
The minister called on leaders in the MoD to stress the importance of promoting a sound and good safety management system, including submission of HSE Plan at the early stage of any construction activities, before any work is carried out.
“I urged all relevant stakeholders, not only contractors and consultants, but all related parties to comply with this requirement in order to achieve our goals and HSE governance in Brunei Darussalam.”
The minister also said, “This conference can benefit delegates in so many ways but what you can do to cultivate change is that you can plan and implement prevention programmes to improve work practices towards a safe and healthy work culture at your respective organisations.”
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