Azlan Othman
Some 40 people, comprising PUJA Academy Sdn Bhd (PASB) members, government officers, students and members of the construction industry, participated in a half-day seminar on ‘Obligations of Professionals in the Construction Industry’, organised by PASB in collaboration with Safety, Health and Environment National Authority (SHENA) on Monday.
The SHENA speakers were Director of Enforcement Ir Terry Douglas Jayasuriya, and Senior Enforcement Inspector Elsayed Salah Hamouda.
While conducting enforcement activities, it is not uncommon to encounter contraventions to the Workplace Safety and Health Order, 2009.
Principals, employers, and workers are required to ensure that contraventions are understood and remediated so as not to compromise the safety and health of the workers.
The role of qualified professionals (architects, professional engineers and quantity surveyors) is just as important in ensuring that construction is uninterrupted and executed safely in terms of design integrity and implementation.
Professional engineers are obligated to design risk-free permanent structures as well as temporary structures, not limited to, structure of ramps, cantilevers, material platforms, form works, concrete works, chutes and excavation works, said PASB.
To address contraventions specific to working at heights, a dialogue was held around architects adopting emerging technologies using offsite modular construction approach for multiple-storey buildings, which would introduce diverse challenges but significantly reduce exposure to working at heights that have contributed to major injuries and fatalities. New skillsets would be required to address competency gaps at all levels to meet industry demands of the future.
PASB said the seminar aimed to raise awareness among construction industry members to recognise their responsibilities and duties.
