‘P-hailing riders record an average of three to four accidents a week’

SHAH ALAM: Some three to four accidents are reported weekly among p-hailing riders due to fatigue and to being tied with the application system, says the Malaysian P-Hailing Deliverers Association (Penghantar).

Its president Zulhelmi Mansor said apart from that, the lack of awareness on safety was also one of the main causes of accidents involving such riders.

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“On average, they work more than four hours non-stop to chase trips and bookings, resulting in them getting exhausted which then lead to accidents,” he told reporters after signing a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Penghantar and the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH) here yesterday.

The MOU was signed by Zulhelmi, on behalf of Penghantar, while MSOSH was represented by its president Dr Shawaludin Husin.

It was aimed at raising awareness on safety and health among p-hailing riders.

“This cooperation is to support Peng- hantar’s safety and health policy towards creating a safe work culture among p-hailing riders and to prioritise occupational safety and health (OSH), based on the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

“It is also to create awareness and protection among p-hailing riders on OSH, as well as to ensure that all riders wear personal protective equipment while working,” he said.

Separately, Dr Shawaludin said MSOSH would recognise the OSH module developed by Penghantar, the Malaysian Road Safety Research Institute, Universiti Teknologi Mara and the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso).

“It will be adopted under the p-hailing OSH guidelines as a whole to improve the social safety net of employees,” he said in the Bernama report.

MSOSH also launched the website of the Annual Conference of the Asia Pacific Occupational Safety and Health Organisation 2023, which is expected to take place in October next year.

Malaysia, through MSOSH, will host the conference which brings together more than 40 OSH organisations from 23 countries in the Asia Pacific region.