Introduction to OSHA
(Source: AUYONG Hui-Nee, Safety Culture in Malaysian Workplace: An Analysis of Occupational Accidents Health and the Environment Journal, 2014, Vol. 5, No. 3)
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 Act 514) was formulated mainly referring to the British Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 that includes a general duty for employers. The tragedy of Sungai Buloh Bright Sparkler firework factory explosion in 1991 had claimed twenty-three lives and contributed to acceleration of new legislation. The OSHA 1994 was made considering the fact that the Factories and Machinery Act (FMA) 1967 only covered occupational safety and health in the manufacturing, mining, quarrying and construction industries, whereas the other industries were not covered. The scope of OSHA 1994 covers all persons at work in both private and public sectors except on board ships and the armed forces. The Occupational health and safety regulations impose an expected penalty that is positively related to the presence of unsafe working conditions for employers not in compliance with the standards.
OSHA 1994 has established the responsible self-management by business and extended duties to company decision makers. The safety and health system is based on the principle of assessing the risks and managing them sensibly, encouraging the employers to focus their energy and resources more on the significant hazards that can cause real harm. The main principles of this Act are self-regulation, tri-partite consultation and co-operation between employers and employees. The objectives of OSHA 1994 are to secure the safety, health and welfare of persons at work against risks, to protect persons at a place of work other than persons at work against risks, to promote an occupational environment for persons at work which is adapted to their physiological and psychological needs, and to provide the means whereby the associated occupational safety and health legislations may be progressively replaced by a system of regulations and approved industry codes of practice (DOSH, 2010).
On latest OSHA development, DOSH (2013) announced that the Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Labelling and Safety Data Sheet of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 2013 (CLASS Regulations) have been gazetted on 11th October 2013. The CLASS Regulations, promulgated under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), have replaced the Occupational Safety and Health (Classification, Packaging and Labelling of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 1997 (CPL Regulations) The main objective of the CLASS Regulations is to ensure suppliers of hazardous chemicals provide sufficient information on hazards of chemicals that they supply, so as to mitigate the risk of accidents happening in the workplace, thus providing a safe and healthy working environment and condition.
Workplace accidents not only very demoralizing to the employees and families but also may affect daily production of employers. Accidents though preventable however still occur due to multiple causes. Awareness on why an accident happens is the first step in prevention as its solution.
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