PROTECTING THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF WORKERS AND SUB-CONTRACTORS
We have formalised an Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) policy in 2017 in view of providing a safe and healthy working environment for all our employees and workers. The policy applies to employees from all levels of the company, be it local employees or foreign workers. We adhere to all statutory requirements, relevant standards, guidelines and code of practice pertaining to human rights, safety and health.
SAFETY AND HEALTH COMMITTEE, TDM BERHAD
SAFETY AND HEALTH COMMITTEE PLANTATION DIVISION
As prescribed in our OSH Policy, new workers and employees are required to undergo safety and health training at their respective plantation areas. The training is conducted by the Safety and Health Officer (SHO) or appointed OSH coordinator in estates and mills.
There were zero fatalities reported in 2018 at our plantations neither were there any injuries recorded for both our contractors and employees.
In the case of accidents for 2018, all operating units reported to the SHO for OSH related activities as well as OSH compliance for TDM Plantation. The SHO collects and compiles accident and injury statistics, and activities related to OSH on a monthly basis and presents it to our top management.
Mitigation measures are in place to reduce incidents and accident rates within our plantation and mills. These include:
- Daily toolbox meetings/safety briefings to workers before commencement of work;
- Every Tuesday is Safety Day where briefings are held by management to all workers on safety and other work- related issues. This is a two-way engagement where workers can put forward their grievances or problems with the management team;
- The Operations Unit conducts periodical training sessions for workers focusing on SOPs, OSH and Sustainability;
- Safety and warning signages are regularly updated; and
- The SHO conducts an annual Compliance and Sustainability Audit for all operating units to ensure compliance with all regulatory requirements and TDM’s OSH Policy.
Safety and Health – Healthcare Division
The healthcare industry is rapidly progressing in demonstrating the best practices which emphasises quality and safety of service delivery to patients and their families. However, the drivers of quality and safe service are the effective management of safety and health of all workers and personnel at the workplace.
The Management of KMI and all hospitals under its purview are committed in ensuring HSE is top priority. Numerous efforts are taken to ensure a healthy and safe environment for the employees, patients, visitors and other stakeholders which include potential customers. We take a proactive stance in ensuring safety at the workplace to prevent incidents and accidents.
The HSE Policy is part of KMI’s Governance Policies which set a clear direction for KMI hospitals to adhere to in ensuring all aspects of HSE are fully integrated.
Several committees have been set up such as the OSH Committee, which is headed by the OSH Officer, Radiation Committee, Infection Control Committee, Emergency and Disaster Preparedness Committee and Risk Management Committee. These committees ensure that all programmes and plans are implemented and monitored.
All these policies complement the HSE policy to address all aspects of safety and health at KMI hospitals.
In addition to HSE in the Healthcare Division, the Infection Control Programme for all hospitals are in place and our dedicated infection control nurses (ICN) actively monitor blood screening and vaccination status of high risk health care workers. Hand hygiene awareness and surveillances are conducted periodically to ensure compliance to hand hygiene which helps to reduce the risk of transmission of organisms.
All employees have their obligation and rights to ensure they are operating in a safe and healthy workplace. Employees who work in high risk areas are required to comply strictly to all policies, procedures and work instructions to prevent any untoward incidents. Employees are provided with appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) while performing their duties at high-risk areas while at the radiology department, all employees are monitored on the radiation exposure status yearly.
Continuous training and awareness related to HSE are conducted by qualified persons to enhance our employees’ knowledge and understanding safety at the workplace. Risk Management; Property, Plant and Equipment; Management of Emergent and Reemergent Infectious Diseases; Management of Incidents and Accidents at the Workplace; and fire drills are among the regular training programmes which are conducted regularly for our employees.
Corrective maintenance, planned preventive maintenance and predictive maintenance are conducted at all KMI hospitals to ensure the overall safety of our employees, patients and visitors.
All hospitals continuously collect data and monitor incidents (Clinical & Non-Clinical). Occupational related injuries and analyses are done accordingly to ensure corrective and preventive measures can be undertaken, and best practices are then identified and implemented accordingly.
Apart from the HSE Policies and activities, KMI Hospitals also embarked on Patients Safety Goals, and Health, Safety and Environment Audit and Risk Monitoring which are benchmarked against Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Control Procedure (HIRAC) and Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) to eradicate common risks and improve safety in delivering care to our patients.
