Companies fined for safety breaches that led to deaths

IPOH: Two companies were fined RM50,000 and RM35,000 respectively by the Sessions Court here for neglecting safety aspects which resulted in the deaths of their workers.

In the first case, Lumut Maritime Terminal Sdn Bhd, represented by its chief financial officer Mohd Hidayatullah Mohamed Yusof, was fined a maximum of RM50,000 after being found guilty under Section 15(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.

Judge Norashima Khalid meted out the punishment yesterday after the defence failed to raise any reasonable doubt on the prosecution’s case.

The court found that the main employer had failed to ensure a fall arrest system for scaffolding works, which resulted in the death of Bangladeshi worker Kamal Hossein, 42.

The incident happened on July 17, 2019, in Seri Manjung.

Meanwhile, rubber processing factory Mardec Processing Sdn Bhd, represented by its operations manager Mohamad Zubir Md Desa, was fined RM35,000 after the company pleaded guilty to a similar offence.

The company was found to have failed a ensure a safety system for forklift driving activities, which resulted in the death of Bangladeshi worker Md Milion Sheikh, 32, at the factory premises on April 4 last year.

The cases were prosecuted by the Perak Department of Occupational Safety and Health prosecution officers. — Bernama