KOTA KINABALU:
Sabahans would receive more training from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) under the Human Resources Ministry. NIOSH Chairman Tan Sri Datuk Lee Lam Thye said this is because Sabahans are the future supporters of the developments in the State, especially the Sabah Development Corridor (SDC). Speaking at a press conference at the NIOSH office here yesterday, Lee said the level of occupational safety and health awareness in the State had increased and NIOSH Sabah was determined to train more Sabahans. “To date, NIOSH Sabah has trained 2,726 participants from - Sabah and Labuan through 101 courses held here, Sandakan, Lahad Datu, Tawau and Sipitang. “As for competency courses, 123 safety and health officers and eight occupational health doctors have been produced,” he said. NIOSH Sabah, which was launched on May 21 last year, has eight staff headed by Regional Manager Hj Azman Sah Bin Hj Sabali. However, the service needed from NIOSH is very demanding and encouraging and the Institute would in future employ more staff to achieve its objectives efficiently. To further strengthen the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) for SDC, Lee said NIOSH Sabah would hold a Borneo Occupational Safety and Health Convention in June next year and it would cover Sabah, Sarawak, Brunei, Kalimantan and The Philippines. The convention is also intended to make Sabah an OSH information hub in Borneo. According to Lee, a Memorandum of Understanding between NIOSH and Yayasan Sabah would be signed today at Shangri-La’s Tanjung Aru Resort to train Sabahan youth on occupational safety and health to support the SDC. He hoped that more industries in Sabah would train their employees on occupational safety and health. On the number of industrial accidents reported in the Country, he said it had reduced drastically. “The latest report we received from PERKESO (Social Security Organisation) indicates that there were 81,810 accidents reported in 2002 and 58,321 in 2006. Most of the cases happened in the manufacturing and construction sectors,” he added. Lee explained that the plantation, tourism and manufacturing industries are booming in Sabah and it is vital for employers to ensure proper and lawful work place and safety for the employees as accidents could occur without any warning. He added that NIOSH is also looking for sponsors to promote its books in the schools which play a significant role in educating the students about safety. Meanwhile, Lee advised Malaysians, especially the unemployed graduates, to be cautious when hunting for jobs through the internet which promises a garden of roses. “It is very shameful that our citizens were caught in the trafficking of drugs and cheated in their efforts to look for higher... paying jobs,” stressed Lee.“I say it is shameful because Malaysia being strict in drugs and has strict penalty, including the death sentence but its citizens still got caught trafficking drugs in other countries,” he said. Lee urged Malaysians to verify the companies they intend to work with from the Human Resource Ministry or the Malaysian Ambassadors before accepting job offers overseas.
