Kadir Arifin

Occupational safety and health management in the construction industry: a review

The construction industry plays a significant role in contributing to the economy and development globally. During the process of construction, various hazards coupled with the unique nature of the industry contribute to high fatality rates. This review refers to previous published studies and related Malaysian legislation documents. Four main elements consisting of human, worksite, management and external elements which cause occupational accidents and illnesses were identified. External and management elements are the underlying causes contributing to occupational safety and health (OSH), while human and worksite elements are more apparent causes of occupational accidents and illnesses. An effective OSH management approach is required to contain all hazards at construction sites. An approach to OSH management constructed by elements of policy, process, personnel and incentive developed in previous work is explored. Changes to the sub-elements according to previous studies and the related Malaysian legislation are also covered in this review.

Governance in Occupational Safety and Health in the Aspect of Indoor Air Quality in Malaysia

Occupational safety and health are a field that is often attracted by various parties and organizations and is a modern social movement. The issue of the deterioration of indoor air quality in the work environment is one of the environmental issues. However, when discussing the issue of indoor air quality in terms of occupational safety and health in Malaysia, most of the studies conducted were more focused on the aftermath of indoor air quality and steps its escort to ensure internal air quality problems in the work environment are more temporary. The implementation of governance in occupational safety and health in the aspects of indoor air quality in Malaysia is divided into two, through legal and non-legal methods. Based on the basic beliefs of sustainability governance there are two main approaches namely holistic approach and reductionism. Thus, this study discusses whether the implementation of governance in occupational safety and health governance in the aspects of indoor air quality is influenced by one or a combination of holistic approaches and reductionism based on the analysis of relevant documents. The findings show that each approach has its own payoff and importance in ensuring the implementation of governance occupational safety and health with the involvement of various and structured stakeholders.

Human Element as the Contributing Factor Towards Construction Accidents from the Perspective of Malaysian Residential Construction Industry

Malaysian construction industry is crucial in the development of the country towards becoming a developed nation. However, the positive growth of Malaysian construction industry is being affected with high fatality rate. There are four main elements contributing to occupational accidents in the industry comprising of immediate factor (human and worksite) and underlying factor (management and external). Human element is considered the most significant and obvious contributing factor towards occupational accidents in the construction industry. This element is formulated by the four sub-elements, human physical, experience, attitude and behavior. 13 residential projects comprising of seven high-rise and six low-rise projects were chosen in Penang, Malaysia. 135 and 13 respondents were selected for questionnaire survey and interview respectively. Attitude and behavior registered the highest mean average in human element. Comparison made between high-rise and low-rise projects respondents shown that there is no significant difference in the perspective of these two groups towards human element.