Workplace safety must always be prioritised

I REFER to the report “Scaffolding from ECRL (East Coast Rail Link) construction site hits car on MRR2” (The Star, Nov 18; online at tinyurl.com/ 5fm4jdhs).

The scaffolding (temporary steel canopy) fell onto and crushed a passing car, trapping the woman driver inside. Fortunately, she was not injured and was helped out of her car by other motorists.

Initial findings by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health showed the steel canopy was a temporary protection structure not designed to withstand impact loads.

It is good to know that the Public Works Department ordered the immediate dismantling of all remaining steel canopy structures at the location to prevent a repeat occurrence.

The incident might not have happened if the Hazard Identifi-cation, Risk Assessment, and Determining Control (HIRADC) process was conducted.

HIRADC is a methodology that gained prominence as a key component of the international standard for occupational health and safety management systems.

The concept itself is a foundational principle of risk management in occupational safety and health, which has been systematically practised and required by the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514) and its subsequent amendments.

WONG SOO KAN

Petaling Jaya