Article by Haslayati Hashim
In many countries, occupational health and safety (OH&S) is regulated at national level.
Nationwide planning and strategies are put in place to reduce workplace incidents and illnesses, raise awareness, ensure competence and instil a culture of safety in the workplace.
In Malaysia, these are endorsed by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) and its Occupational Safety and Health Master Plans (OSHMP), which have been in use since 2005. DOSH uses a self-regulation approach, aligned to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (1994). It has established a national council for OH&S (NCOSH), a national OH&S strategy and programme (the ‘OSH Master Plan’) for developing OH&S management systems, which promotes tripartite negotiations and cooperation. Preventive culture is achieved when health and safety elements are integrated into an organization’s day-to-day business.
The main focus of the current strategy is to implement self-regulation in managing OH&S risk in organizations, including small and medium enterprises (SMEs). One of the resources used by DOSH in developing public policy is ISO 45001:2018. Read more...