KUALA LUMPUR: The government wants to reduce the number of accidents which occur at construction sites, as this contributes to an average of 80 deaths annually.
According to the Human Resources Ministry, between eight to 10 per cent of workplace accidents occur in construction sites yearly, both in Malaysia and worldwide.
Expressing his concern over the matter, minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam said this translates to between 4,000 to 5,000 out of the 50,000 workplace accidents in the country each year.
As a result of these accidents, which stem from various causes, he said up to 80 people were killed every year.
"In the past year, we have taken about 200 cases to court as some safety (guidelines) were overlooked and 80 per cent were found guilty of not following procedures," Dr Subramaniam said.
He was speaking to the press after launching the Master Builders Association of Malaysia (MBAM) Annual Safety Conference 2012 at the Sime Darby Convention Centre yesterday.
The two-day course is aimed at enhancing safety management and occupational safety and health practices in the Malaysian construction industry.
During the event, Subramaniam awarded Malaysia Construction Industry Development Board (CIDB) chairman Datuk Ir Hamzah Hasan the MBAM's "Golden Helmet" award for his leadership contribution towards safety and health in the construction industry, while Putra Perdana Construction Sdn Bhd safety supervisor Muhammad Iskandar Dorahim was accorded the "Safety and Health Award for Site Personnel" for his commitment to the implementation of safety and health at construction sites.
