Govt must focus on safety and asset management, says Lee Lam Thye
KUALA LUMPUR: The safety of personnel and asset management across all ministries must receive serious attention, says Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye.
The Alliance for a Safe Community chairman said that if personnel safety is at risk due to inadequate measures, efforts must enhance existing assets.
"I would like to finally suggest that the practice of Occupational Safety and Health must be given the highest priority by the Home Ministry as well as other ministries.
"I feel it is important for assets to be better equipped with safety features such as seat belts," he said when contacted on Thursday (May 15).
He commented on the road tragedy that killed nine Federal Reserve Unit (FRU) personnel in Teluk Intan on Tuesday (May 13).
Lee also urged the government and its departments to embrace a safety culture.
"The private sector has always been told to embrace the safety culture and adhere to the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 and other relevant legislation.
"I think this law should be equally applied to all government departments, agencies, and ministries. Only through a safety culture can we prevent more deaths," he added.
The concept of Vision Zero is crucial, he said.
"Introduced by the International Social Security Association, it aims to promote awareness that all preventable accidents must be prevented.
"It can only be achieved if we embrace a safety culture without compromising safety and health issues because it concerns lives," he said.
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