KUALA LUMPUR: The Occupational Safety and Health Department (DOSH) is carrying out a nationwide operation focusing on the consistency of compliance and safe work sites.
In a statement issued by its director-general's office on Tuesday (Dec 9), it said the operation was conducted by its Construction Site Safety Division and Selangor DOSH.
"The construction site operation was carried out simultaneously nationwide on Monday (Dec 8).
"The aim is to assess the level of compliance of the construction sector under the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 and the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations (Construction Work) (Design and Management) 2024.
"This is our third nationwide operation this year," it read.
The statement said the first operation from Feb 17 to 28 involved 241 construction sites and focused on compliance at high-rise sites and where heavy lifting work was involved.
"The next was held from June 16 to 27 (involving 225 sites), focusing on regulating work at high-rise construction sites and monitoring their safety.
"The current operation is from Monday to Friday (Dec 8 to 12).
"This operation is focused on the inspection of construction sites with a record of repeated non-compliance based on results of previous operations or inspections," it added.
During the first two operations this year, DOSH said it issued 760 instruction letters, 376 improvement notices, 459 prohibition notices, 85 seizures, and 21 proposed investigation papers.
It said statistics on injury and death cases at construction sites, which the department investigated found 203 injuries and 68 deaths in 2023; 195 injuries in 66 deaths last year; and 115 injuries and 35 deaths this year up to October.
"Last year, national occupational injury statistics showed a total of 5,290 injury cases in the construction sector.
"There were 101 casualties, with falls from heights being one of the main causes of injury cases at construction sites.
"The statistics recorded 1,299 cases of falls at construction sites throughout last year," it read.
DOSH said it is committed to continuously monitoring construction sites to ensure that the safety and health of workers are always prioritised.
"All parties involved, including clients, must ensure that construction projects are carried out safely through compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations (Construction Work) (Design and Management) 2024 and guidelines related to the construction sector.
"Employers must ensure that workers in this sector are given adequate training so that they have knowledge and awareness of their safety and health needs.
"The department will not compromise on any employer or project manager who fails to comply with the legal provisions," it said.
