Cyberjaya: The Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) is targeting to achieve 'Zero Vision' or zero accidents, injuries, and fatalities at the workplace, aiming to safeguard workers' safety and health. Minister Steven Sim Chee Keong highlighted the significant progress made in reducing workplace injuries and fatalities, marking a 17 percent decrease in injury rates and a nearly 40 percent drop in fatalities over the past decade, from 2014 to 2024.
According to BERNAMA News Agency, interim data from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) revealed that the injury and fatality rates in 2014 were 3.10 per 1,000 workers and 4.21 per 100,000 workers, respectively. These rates have declined to 2.58 per 1,000 workers and 2.58 per 100,000 workers last year. Minister Sim emphasized the importance of stringent law enforcement, stating that external factors such as climate, business, and economic issues should not justify worker exploitation.
To bolster workplace safety, KESUMA, through DOSH, has introduced various initiatives and enforcement measures. Notably, over 100 improvements were made to the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 last year. These enhancements include expanding the Act's scope to cover all economic sectors, mandating safety and health coordinators for workplaces with more than five employees, and increasing the maximum fine for workplace accidents from RM50,000 to RM500,000.
Furthermore, the ratification of the International Labour Organisation Convention C155 last year has further empowered workers, granting them the right to withdraw from hazardous work environments. Minister Sim also underscored the role of digitalisation and artificial intelligence (AI) in improving monitoring, enforcement, and investigation. DOSH has deployed drones equipped with AI to monitor construction sites, automatically identifying safety violations and relaying information to control centers or on-duty officers.
The use of drones expanded last year, with over 800 flights conducted for monitoring and investigation, resulting in the issuance of 119 notices based on drone observations. In addition, DOSH developed a Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) Laboratory last October. These technologies enhance forensics, investigations, training, and enforcement by allowing real-world simulations, expediting investigation outcomes, reducing the necessity for physical site visits, and providing safer, cost-effective training for new officers.