GOVT COMMITS TO REDUCING TOTAL ACCIDENTS AT WORKPLACE AND WHILE COMMUTING TO WORK

KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Bernama) -- The government is committed to reducing the total accidents at the workplace and while commuting to work to three cases per 1,000 workers by 2020 from the 5.6 currently, says Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) Director General, Dr Johari Basri.

He said the Social Security Organisation (SOCSO) spends RM1.3 billion annually as compensation to workers. (US$1=RM3.03)

In 2010, the total accidents reported was 60,405 cases while commuting to work accidents made up 33.6 per cent of the cases reported, Johari said at the opening ceremony of the Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) OSH Conference 2011 here Wednesday.

"The number of commuting to work accidents increased last year and 60 per cent of those involved were motorcyclists," he added.

Meanwhile, FMM Human Resources Management Committee Chairman, Davies Danavaindran said the manufacturing sector remained very much concerned over the workplace accidents.

He added that the latest figures showed that non-permanent disability cases in the sector rose by 25 per cent to 1,493 cases in 2010 from 1,186 cases the previous year.

"In the first two months of 2011, 242 of the 335 cases investigated, were in the manufacturing sector.

"Permanently disabled cases in the manufacturing sector rose by 105 per cent to 162 in 2010 from 79 the previous year", he said.
-- BERNAMA