MBAM to highlight safe and healthy work environment in Safety and Health Conference 2023

• MBAM president Oliver HC: “We would like to echo the government’s efforts through the amended OSHA that will empower employees in prioritising their health and safety, providing them a voice to speak up about safety and health issues.”

KUALA LUMPUR (May 17): The Master Builders Association Malaysia (MBAM) has commenced its 21st edition of the annual Safety and Health Conference 2023 at Sunway Resort Hotel on Wednesday (May 17). The conference is set to attract 300 participants.

In his welcome speech on Wednesday, MBAM president Oliver HC Wee shared that the theme for this year’s conference is “Embracing the Change – New OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Act)”.

“We would like to echo the government’s efforts through the amended OSHA that will empower employees in prioritising their health and safety, providing them a voice to speak up about safety and health issues,” Wee said. 

He added that a safe and healthy work environment is indeed no easy task and it is a shared responsibility of all parties.

“As the saying goes, ‘your greatest asset is the health and safety of your employees’. It is crucial for all employers and organisations to stay abreast and be well-informed about the OSHA amendments to ensure that all our actions are in accordance with the law while upholding a safe work culture for everyone,” Wee said.

He also highlighted that MBAM has continuously advocated the importance of safety management in construction where public safety should be traded off for faster completion time or cost.

“The ripple effects from the pandemic have inevitably threatened the industry’s compliance to environmental, social and governance (ESG) standards as well as their digital transformation journey. However, employers and organisations must constantly reinforce their occupational health and safety measures as there is no price for human life. Death due to accidents is needless and so where safety is concerned, there should be no compromise,” Wee noted.

There will be a total of 11 presentations planned for the two-day conference (May 17-18) with topics that are related to the new OSHA, with industry experts sharing on topics and insights of occupational safety and health in construction industry management, roles and responsibilities of client and designers, chemical health risk assessment to communicable diseases, among others.

The opening ceremony of the conference earlier was also attended and officiated by deputy minister of Human Resources Malaysia Mustapha Sakmud, Department of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH) director general Mohd Anuar Embi, Social Security Organisation (Socso) deputy chief executive (operation) John Riba Anak Marin, and MBAM council member cum chairman of safety & health committee Michael Yap Kok Wai.