Occupational Safety and Health Act should address workplace bullying

the Association for Community and Dialogue urges the Human Resources Minister to incorporate a provision against bullying at the workplace into the Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Bill 2020. — Filepic/The Star

The Association for Community and Dialogue (Acid) welcomes the amendments to the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act 1994 that, among others, aim at extending the application of the law to all workplaces. The OSH (Amendment) Bill 2020 was tabled for a first reading in the Dewan Rakyat by Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri M. Saravanan on Nov 2, 2020.

Among the proposed amendments is an increased penalty, from RM50,000 to RM500,000, under Section 19 for offences such as the failure of employers to formulate safety and health policies. Amendments under Section 23 will also see an increase in penalties, from RM20,000 to RM200,000, for those who violate the provisions of Sections 21 and 22 related to the manufacturer’s duty concerning the plant and materials in the workplace.