UMS first in East M'sia to receive OSH cert

Kota Kinabalu: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) became the first university in East Malaysia to receive the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management System certification from the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (Niosh) on Thursday. According to Niosh Chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye, Niosh will continue its effort to work with other industries, specifically educational institutions, in creating a safer environment for all employees.

"An educational institution is a place to train future human resources but it is also a workplace for most people and we want to set up an Occupational Safety Health (OSH) system for the benefit of all its employees and students," he said.

According to him, Niosh currently works closely with Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) to make sure that the university is a safe place for all.

"Previously in 2012, we have also collaborated with UMS through the signing of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) and with that we had provided safety training education," he said during the handing of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Management System OHSAS18001 & MS1722 certification to the university's Chancellery Administration Office, Internal Audit Division, Islamic Centre, Information Technology and Communication Division, OSH Centre and EcoCampus Centre.

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Earlier, UMS Vice Chancellor Professor Datu Dr Mohd Harun Abdullah also urged all UMS staff to pay serious attention to their health and safety aspects in their daily work routine to assure quality and excellent work production.

He also said they have decided to expand the OSH system to other faculties and departments in stages.

The effective implementation of OSH Management System at workplace will help an organisation to:

i. Save operational cost of compensation to workers, medical fees and others apart from reducing the premium of insurance as the OSH hazard or risks that have been predetermined and control by the organisation.

ii. Reduce number of incidents and accidents and costs by both.

iii. Increase morale of staff, their motivation and the company's performance and productivity.

iv. Comply the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 1994, Factories and Machinery Act (FMA) 1967 and other OSH requirements.

v. Develop OSH culture.

The total number of accidents at workplaces decreased from 81,810 from 2002 to 63,359 whereas cases related to deaths decreased from 1,224 in 2002 to 933 in 2014.

Cases related to industrial accidents also decreased from 63,423 in 2002 to 35,309 in 2014 whereas for commuting accidents, the number however increased from 18,387 in 2002 to 28,050 in 2014.

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"We are frequently exposed to danger risks at work…but with this certification, it shows that UMS has made an effort to ensure the safety and welfare of their employees," said Lee.

"I hope that the certification scope will be expanded to other departments as it would benefit not only the organisation and employees but the public and country's development as well," he added.

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