Public Call For Better Safety Features At Construction Sites
By Rosli Abidin Yahya

Bandar Seri Begawan - Several concerned members of the public have called for security and safety features to be provided to construction workers especially those working at high-rise buildings.

They expressed their shock to the Bulletin after witnessing several construction workers working on a rooftop of a four-storey construction block apparently without adequate safety equipment.

The workers were reportedly seen sitting on the rooftop without any visible signs that they were tied to a secure beam.

Safety harnesses could help ensure that the workers do not fall to their deaths or sustain serious injuries should they slip.

A few of the workers were also seen walking precariously across to the end of the unfinished block on a roof beam barely as wide as the soles of their shoes.

"They may not fall but accidents do happen. If they were safely tied to beams or posts at least it would be safer should they slip," they said.

Witnesses then urged concerned employers to enhance security features for their workers especially those in the construction industry.

They said that one way to instill in workers a greater sense of safety awareness and to make them aware of their rights to safety protection is to stress that their lives are at stake, and to ensure that their representatives on worksite safety committees fully understand the objectives of such committees.

It would also boost the morale of employees if the top management of companies, in a display of care and concern for staff welfare, make regular, unannounced inspections of worksites to observe the working conditions of their employees and to understand the risks they face.

Bosses can also grant their safety managers direct access to the workers so complaints and near-accidents are reported instead of being covered up by line managers.

Workers should also be provided with incentives such as free holidays and awards when they achieve accident free periods.

The construction industry contributes to more than 28,000 jobs, nearly 90 per cent of which are filled by foreign workers, according to a report made in 2002.

Of the 72,000 foreign workers in Brunei, more than 55,000 come from the Asean member countries.

Indonesian nationals make up 18,000, while Malaysians and Filipinos make up 15,000 and 12,000, respectively.

There are 10,000 Thais in Brunei while the rest come from Vietnam, Myanmar, Singapore, Cambodia and Laos.

Meanwhile, the growth of registered companies in Brunei continues to rise. There were over 7,000 companies registered in 2002, with 5,000 in the Brunei-Muara District alone. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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