Brunei's Local News - Brudirect.com

Bandar Seri Begawan - In an effort to tackle the rising number of accidents in the country, the Ministry of Communications has vowed to make safety issues its primary agenda and designated 2009 as the "year to upgrade safety" in Brunei Darussalam.

In view of the rising number of accidents in the transportation sector in 2008, the ministry is taking the issue of safety very seriously. It will not only promote safety in the working environment but also among the general public, staff, operators and consumers.

This observation was made by the Acting Minister of Communications, Dato Paduka Haji Yusof bin Haji Abdul Hamid, who launched a safety campaign called "Year 2009 As The Year To Improve Safety For The Ministry of Communications & Departments Under It" yesterday.

The campaign, which is themed "Prioritise Safety",

is one of the steps taken by the ministry to encourage its officers and staff members to take the issue of safety measures seriously and adopt it as part of their daily lives.

The Sunday Bulletin has learnt that the ministry will enhance SOPS (Standard Operating Procedures) as well as other rules and regulations in achieving this goal.

It will also upgrade the level of safety in the workplace "not only in the transportation sector but also the communications sector".

The acting minister said that a number of activities and programmes will be spearheaded by the Ministry of Communications and the departments under it throughout 2009.

Highlighting the urgency of improving safety in both the transportation and communication sectors, Dato Paduka Haji Yusof said "if it is not taken seriously... the community could be at risk".

Worst still, the community may "lose trust" in the transportation system and communication sector, the acting minister added.

Among the steps that the ministry will take to improve safety include carrying out surveys "from all sides" to make sure that the relevant parties concerned systematically carry out safety measures in their day-to-day operations. Priority will also be given to implementing "safety improvement programmes" throughout 2009.

Abdul Mutalib bin Paduka Orang Kaya Seri Setia Dato Paduka Haji Mohammad Yusof, the Ministry of Communications' Deputy Permanent Secretary and the chairman of yesterday's event, meanwhile, touched on the recent establishment of the Ministry of Communications Safety Committee comprising heads of various departments under the Ministry of Communications.

There was also an informative presentation entitled "Making ADifference: Implementing The Safety Culture in Brunei Darussalam" by Awg Mohammad Soffian bin Haji Umar, the Head of the Health, Safety, Environment & Security Section at Brunei Shell Marketing Sdn Bhd (BSP).

According to him, safety at Shell has not just become a culture but a priority. Touching on the importance of safety in the working environment, Awg Mohammad Soffian gave an in-depth analysis of BSP's Health, Safety and Environment Management System (HSE-MS), where the HSE system has made BSP one of the top performers in safety globally. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin