M.S. Aini

Evolution of Emergency Management in Malaysia

Various types of disaster ranging from biological, structural collapse, fire and explosion, landslides and meteorological incidents have struck Malaysia. Safety and emergency laws and regulations in Malaysia had evolved in pace with the development and industrialisation of the country. Some of these disasters were land-marked disasters whereby various safety and emergency acts and regulations were amended or introduced. In this article, the history of the evolution of various Safety and Emergency Laws, Regulations and Acts in the country since independence in 1957 until the establishment of the Permanent Guidelines for Disaster Management and Relief Operations in 1997 is presented. Lessons from past disasters and the rapid expansion of industrialisation have greatly influenced the evolution of safety and emergency management in Malaysia. However, this intermediary phase in the pursuit of development is often accompanied by an increase in vulnerability (McEntire, 1997). This paper discusses reasons that are attributed to the increase in vulnerability as well as the challenges faced by the nation in the area of safety and emergency planning.

Analysis of Royal Inquiry Report on the collapse of a building in Kuala Lumpur

Purpose – Malaysia, which is in an intermediary phase of development and industrialization, has experienced various magnitudes of disasters ranging from biological, structural collapse, fires and explosions, landslides to meteorological incidents. The first major disaster that could be linked with the development of the country was the collapse of a four‐storey building in 1968. This article describes how, by applying a grounded theory approach, examination and analysis of archival data were conducted to identify the phases and latent errors of this landmark disaster.Design/methodology/approach – Grounded theory approach was utilized to develop a substantive theory of socio‐technical disaster preconditions.Findings – Data indicated that the disaster had developed in phases as found by other disaster scholars. Regulatory failures were found to be one of the main causes of the disaster. The disaster appeared to be an inevitable consequence of the inability of the laws and regulations to keep in tandem with ...

Review of an incident at a petrochemical plant

Major hazard installations (MHIs) are dealing with hazardous substances which exceed the threshold quantity. MHIs are characterized by tight coupling and high complexity. Due to their complexity, MHIs require well trained managers who have good experience at all levels to manage the operations successfully. The managements of major hazard installations play a vital role in the success or failure of their installation. The world has witnessed many incidents in major hazard installations due to failure of the management at all levels. This paper summarizes in brief the management errors for several incidents which occurred worldwide. Also, the paper reviews the management errors which led to an incident at a petrochemical plant in East Malaysia.

Study on emergency response preparedness of hazardous materials transportation

Notes the recent increase in interstate shipments of hazardous materials, by road, in Malaysia following rapid expansion in the manufacturing sector. Although there has been no major accident involving transportation of hazardous materials, the high rate of road accidents has raised great concerns concerning motor vehicles carrying hazardous goods and petroleum products. Determines the emergency preparedness and response plans of the transportation companies. Data were obtained from management and drivers, and the results revealed that the companies did not have a proper management system of safe transportation, had inadequate training of personnel, and the transport vehicles were not provided with appropriate tools and equipment for emergency response during mishaps. The drivers lacked general awareness and principal knowledge of hazardous material emergency response. Suggests that there is an urgent need to stipulate legal requirements for hazardous material transportation in Malaysia.

Who Learns When Workers are Trained? A Case of Safety Training of Maintenance Contractors' Workers For A Major Petrochemical Plant Shutdown

This study evaluated the safety training for petrochemical plant maintenance contractors’ workers for a major plant shutdown at a refinery and the correlation between knowledge gained and levels of education. The training was divided into four courses, which were Introduction to Safety, Hydrogen Sulphide, Confined Space and Permit to Work, which were given before starting the job. It is normal practice in any oil, gas and petrochemical plant that contract workers (ranging from 700 to 3000 in Malaysia) are engaged to perform maintenance and modification jobs during any plant shutdown. The first and second levels of Kirkpatricks evaluation training were chosen to evaluate the training exercise. Seven elements were identified for the first level, namely course objectives, course material, trainer, visual aid, feedback, learning and reaction. A survey was developed consisting of 49 questions and the data were analysed using SPSS. For the second level, post-tests were given to the respondents for each course and the scores were tabulated. The correlation between knowledge gained and level of education was significant for hydrogen sulphide only. It is recommended that, for a large group, it would be more effective to group the trainees according to their level of education. For better understanding of a cause-effect relationship in training, mathematical modelling and simulation studies were conducted and a strong correlation between training effectiveness and percentage age grouping was obtained. The curves obtained are typical for the whole exercise, which gave perfect straight lines for Introduction to Safety, Hydrogen Sulphide, Confine Space and Permit to Work, respectively. The curves’ characteristics confirmed the model derived. Subsequently, detailed correlation using the model was performed on all Ei=f(A, X, L, P, Rp, RR, T), which were plots of training effectiveness vs Et as percentages, gave good quantitative parameters for further simulations in the future. Each model describes a common characteristic for all four courses.

The influence of socio demographic factors on severe weather concern, knowledge and preparedness among Malaysians

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of socio-demographic factors on severe weather concern, knowledge and preparedness among urban and semi-urban residents of Malaysia. Results indicated that a broad-based education approach could be used to enhance community preparedness to severe weather risks as age, education level, gender and ethnicity did not influence all the variables of the study.

Transnational forest fire fighting: the Malaysian experience

The forest fire experiences of Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand in 1997 are reviewed. The problems of transnational co‐operation in such cases are examined and the resulting joint lessons are presented.

Issues and lessons from fire inquiry tribunals

Purpose – The purpose of the research is to identify the phases associated with the development of disasters, understand their underlying causes and learn lessons from them.Design/methodology/approach – Using a grounded theory approach, reports of the tribunal of inquiry into the three fire disasters in the country were used to analyze the data.Findings – Data demonstrated that these disasters were not sudden cataclysmic events but developed in phases. Pre‐disaster period is found to consist of four phases, namely, operation, incubation period, forewarning and activation. The onset was found to be caused by active errors while the underlying causes are attributed to the latent errors. These latent errors accumulated within the organization during the incubation period. Emergency response was poor due to lack of knowledge on emergency response, inadequate safety and emergency planning and insufficient equipment. Ensuing these disasters, there were establishment of social entity, formulation of new legislat...

Multi-hazard weather risk perception and preparedness in eight countries

ABSTRACTWeather risk perception research lacks multihazard and transcultural datasets. This hypothesis-generating study used a cognitive behavioral approach and Brunswik’s lens model for subjective...

The position of the media as a tool of communication and education on severe weather in Malaysia

Information by the media in advance of severe weather occurrences can prepare the public to respond properly during an emergency situation. At the same time, the media should work as a channel to communicate and promote proper public response to severe weather threats. The objective of this study is to examine the position of the media as a tool of communication and education on severe weather in Malaysia. Results indicate that the present role of the media in Malaysia is still insufficient in communicating and educating the public on severe weather.