Ma a Country Profile

8/3/2019 Ma a Country Profile

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Occupational Statistics

at a Glance

Land area: 330,250 Sq. km.Population: 26.51 Million (2006)GDP per capita: US$5,083 (2005)

Key Industries: Palm oil and petroleum

production

Rubber manufacturing Logging and timber

processing

Electronics Textile manufacturing

% Population aged 15-64: 62.7%Unemployment rate: 3.8%Occupational fatality rate:11.3/100,000 workersNational agency primarily

responsible for occupationalhealth and safety: Department ofOccupational Safety and Health ,Ministry of Human Resources

National Focal Person for

occupational health:Dr Sirajuddin Bin HashimPrincipal Assistant DirectorMinistry of Health MalaysiaLevel 6 Block E-10 Parcel EPutrajaya, Malaysia 62590Tel. No.: (603) 8883 4112Fax No.: (603) 8888 6276

E-mail: [email protected] ILO conventions ratified:

ILO 81 ILO 144 ILO 182

MALAYSIA

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Malaysia is a federation of 13 States in Southeast Asia,formed in 1963. The country consists of two geographicalregions divided by the South China Sea. West Malaysia (or

Peninsular Malaysia) on the Malay Peninsula shares a landborder on the north with Thailand and is connected by theJohor-Singapore Causeway and the Malaysia-SingaporeSecond Link on the south with Singapore. It consists of 11states (Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Malacca, Negeri Sembilan,Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Penang, Selangor and Terengganu),and two federal territories (Putrajaya and Kuala Lumpur).East Malaysia occupies the northern part of the island ofBorneo, bordering Indonesia and the Sultanate of Brunei. Itconsists of the federal territory of Labuan islands and thestates of Sabah and Sarawak.

The total estimated population is 26.51 millioni. Males

comprise 50.7% of the total population, while females makeup 49.3%ii. Life expectancy is 74.10 years (71.8 years formales, and 76.2 years for females

iii). The infant mortality

rate is 9.0 per 1000 live births (2005). Adult literacy rate isover 88%iv.

About 50.4% of the people are Malay, and another 23.7% areChinese. The remainder is comprised of indigenous peoples(11%), Indians (7.1%), and other ethnicities (7.8%)v. About

62.7% of the total population is of working age (i.e. betweenthe ages of 15-64)vi.

Malaysias per capita GDP, estimated at US$5,083vii

(2005)classifies it as a middle-income country. Historically, tinmining and processing, and the cultivation and processing ofrubber were the major revenue sources for the country. Industrialization began in the1960s. By 1986, the Government launched its First Industrial Master Plan to shift the


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economy from a model dependent on natural resources to one driven by manufacturingand servicesviii. The current national development plan emphasizes growth in the areas ofinformation and communications technology, and services, with a focus on globalizationand trade liberalizationix.

Table 1. GDP Composition by SectorSector % of GDP

Agriculture 9.1%Industry 48.5%Services 42.4%

Source: Asian Development Bank, Key Indicators of Developing Asian and Pacific Countries, 2004 at www.adb.org/statistics lastaccessed 31 March 2006.

In the 4th quarter of 2005, there were 10,398,300 people in the labour force, of which9,998,100 were employed. The unemployment rate is currently at 3.8%

x. It is estimated

that 10-20% of the workforce is made up of foreign nationals, some of whom are in thecountry illegally xi . The current estimate for illegal migrant workers in Peninsular

Malaysia is about 300,000-400,000, or about one illegal worker for every 3 documentedworkers. The official estimate of illegal workers by the Sabah Labour Department isabout 100,000. However, unofficial estimates suggest that there are about twounregistered workers for every documented worker. Sabah not only has a higherproportion (about 50%) of foreign workers in its labour force, but it also has a higherincidence of illegal entry and employment.xii.

Table 2. Employment by Economic Activity (2004)

Economic Activity (based on ISIC-Rev.3) Number (thousands)

Agriculture, Hunting, Forestry 1350.0Fishing 130.0

Mining and Quarrying 30.0Manufacturing 2020.0Electricity, Gas and Water Supply 60.0Construction 890.0Wholesale and Retail Trade 1610.0Hotels and Restaurants 700.0Transport, Storage and Communications 530.0Financial intermediation and 230.0Real Estate 460.0Public Administration and Defense 680.0Education 610.0

Health and Social Work 200.0Other Community, Social and Personal ServiceActivities

230.0

Private Household with Employed Persons 260.0TOTAL 9990.0Source: Population Census as reported by the Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2005atwww.statistics.gov.my/english last accessed

30 March 2006.


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Malaysia is an active member of the following international organizations, which havepotential influence on the state of occupational health and safety within the country:

Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Asian Development Bank (ADB) Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) G-77 International Monetary Fund (IMF) United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific

(ESCAP)

United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) World Health Organization (WHO) World Trade Organization (WTO)

Malaysia played a leading role in the formation of Asia Pacific Occupational Safety andHealth Organization (APOSHO), a network of national OSH agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) which aims to uplift OSH practices in the region xiii.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY INDICATORS

Malaysia has several national agencies collecting data on occupational accidents anddiseases. The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) under the Ministryof Human Resources, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH),the Occupational Health Unit under the Ministry of Health, the Social SecurityOrganization (SOCSO), the Department of Labour and other agencies all collectsurveillance data related to occupational health.

Table 3 shows the number and rate of work-related accidents reported to SOCSO from1995-2004. The data shows a decrease in the work-related accident rate from 15.4accidents per 1,000 workers in 1995 to 6.7 accidents per 1,000 workers in 2004.

Table 3. Work Accidents Reported to the Occupational Health Division, 2003-2004

Year Number of Registered

Workers

Number of Industrial

Accidents

Accident Rate per 1,000Workers

2004 10,318,209 69,132 6.72003 10,150,000 73,858 7.32002 7,912,385 81,810 10.32001 8,769,321 85,292 9.7

2000 8,877,304 95,006 10.71999 8,598,005 92,074 10.71998 8,428,589 85,338 10.11997 8,252,680 86,589 10.51996 7,613,635 106,508 14.01995 7,412,191 114,134 15.4Source: National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, Industrial accidents trends, athttp://www.niosh.com.my/statistik.html

last accessed 28 march 2006.


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Table 4 shows the case fatality rates from 1977-2000 across the different sectors ofeconomic activity. Case fatality rates are highest for construction, transportation andmining and quarrying. The work-related fatality rate for 2000 is 11.3 per 100,000workersxiv.

Table 4. Distribution of Accidents and Fatality Frequency by Sectors

Industry Indicator 1977 1980 1985 1990 2000Agricultural, forestry & fishing Case fatality 18.7 0.9 1.9 3.4 9.6

Mining & quarrying Case fatality 11.9 10.9 13.4 4.5 17.5Manufacturing & processing Case fatality 1.0 1.1 1.8 1.5 6.8Electricity, gas, water & sanitaryservice

Case fatality 5.5 16.9 56.6 2.3 14.8

Construction Case fatality 6.4 4.8 6.8 12.8 32.6Commerce Case fatality 2.8 2.7 7.3 2.7 9.7Transportation Case fatality 11.2 25.7 27.2 9.6 20.5Financial & Insurance Case fatality 7.9 7.9 10.0 15.4 16.0Services Case fatality - - - 8.7 10.9

Civil Service Case fatality - - - 12.7 11.7TOTAL AccidentsFatality

47,912165

51,340143

61,724238

121,104387

95,0061004

Overall Case Fatality (per

1,000 accidents)

Case fatality 3.4 2.7 3.8 3.1 10.5

Source: Rampal KG, Aw TC, Jefferelli SB.(2002). Occupational health in Malaysia. In LaDou J (Ed).Occupational Medicine in

Industrializing Countries. (pp 409-425). Philadelphia:Hanley & Belfus,Inc.

Table 5 displays the number and types of occupational diseases reported to SOCSO in theyears 1999, 2002 and 2003. The numbers of work-related diseases are small compared tooccupational accidents, and may reflect underreporting due to failure to recognize thework-relatedness of medical diagnoses, non-reporting of diagnosed occupational diseasesto the appropriate agencies or failure to capture occupational morbidities occurringamong workers in small and medium-sized enterprises and the informal economy.

Table 5. Occupational Diseases Reported to SOCSO, 1999, 2002, 2003.

Occupational

Disease

YEAR

1999 2002 2003Cancer 61 65 86Noise induced hearingloss

8 59 1

Respiratory disease 14 17 8Skin disease 40 10 5Musculoskeletal

disorders

1 8 0

Source: Hashim SB, Amin FB, Khalid HM. Malaysia Country Report, WHO/ILO Meeting on Strengthening Occupational Health and

Safety, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 2005.

Under-recognition of occupational diseases is reported by data collected by theInformation and Documentation System (IDS) Unit of the Ministry of Health, on the totalprobable occupational diseases among hospital admissions for the years 1999-2003(Table 6) xv . This data indicates that, on the average, about 103 cases of probable


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occupational disease occur for every 10,000 hospital admissions---about 1% of alladmissions.

Table 6. Probable Cases of Occupational Diseases among MOH Hospital

Admissions, 1999-2003

YEARDiseases1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

TotalAdmissions Rate per10,000admissions

Totalprobableoccupationalrespiratorydiseases

11,087 11,078 10,060 8294 7769 48,288 68

Totalprobablyoccupationalcancer

4100 3884 3881 3848 3781 19,494 28

Totalprobable

occupationalpesticidepoisoning

796 914 913 901 950 4,474 6

Totalprobableoccupationalskin disease

161 169 163 162 151 806 1

Totaladmissions,MOHhospitals

1,325,199 1,494,248 1,420,613 1,476,273 1,369,720 7,086,053

Source: Hashim SB, Amin FB, Khalid HM. Malaysia Country Report, WHO/ILO Meeting on Strengthening Occupational Health and

Safety, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 2005.

CAPACITY, INFRASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES

Health care in Malaysia is a priority for the Government. Health care expenditure percapita was approximately US$63 in 2004, comprising 6.3% of the national budget, and1.7% of the GDP.

The national infrastructure for occupational health and safety is well-established.

The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) within the Ministryof Human Resources is the lead agency charged with the administration and

enforcement of legislation and policies related to occupational health and safety.In 2005, DOSH had 462 enforcement officers divided among one Head Officeand 13 State or Provincial Offices.

The Occupational Health Unit of the Ministry of Health provides occupationalhealth services through its network of Primary Health Care clinics and hospitals.The Unit also publishes guidelines for occupational safety and health and forhealth promotion in the workplace.


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The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), which wasestablished in 1993, provides information, training, advocacy and research onoccupational safety and health.

The Social Security Organization provides for injury and disease compensationand rehabilitation of workers. It also collects data on work-related accidents,

injuries and illnesses. The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health (NCOSH) is a tripartite

body that acts as an advisory body to the Minister of Human Resources on workersafety and health issues.

Other agencies in both the public and private sectors participate in occupationalhealth and safety issues in Malaysia. Examples of these agencies include theMalaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health, the Malaysian TradeUnion Congress, the Construction Industry Development Board, the PesticidesBoard, various universities and the Malaysian Occupational Health NursesAssociation.

Links to these agencies and institutions, and to individual occupational healthpractitioners in the country can be found through the Malaysian Integrated OccupationalSafety and Health Network internet portal at http://www.miosh.my

Workplace enforcement visits increased by 14.7% from 2003 to 2004. These visitsincluded statutory occupational health and safety inspections, industrial hygiene visits,major hazards inspections and inspection of places of work in agriculture, forestry,fishery and transportation sectors.

Table 7. Workplace Enforcement Inspections by Sector, 2002-2004

Type of Inspection 2003 2004

Statutory Inspections 135,079 156,717Industrial hygiene visits --- 1,053Major hazards inspections and inspections

of places of work

764 1434

Source: Che Man, AB and Musri M. Occupational safety and health system and programme in Malaysia. Asia-pacific Newsletter on

Occupational Health and Safety 2005;12:30-35.

Malaysias NIOSH conducted a total of 1099 training programmes at varying levels ofproficiency in 2004, with a total of 28,149 participants trained. NIOSH offers certificateprogrammes to qualify health professionals as occupational health doctors and nurses.

POLICY AND LEGISLATIVE ENVIRONMENT

The policy and legislative environment relating to occupational health and safety inMalaysia has evolved over time to reflect transitions in the countrys economy. TheMachinery Enactment of 1913, later revised as the Machinery Ordinance of 1953, wasintended to protect the safety of workers employed predominantly in the tin mining andagricultural industries during the first half of the 20th century. By the 1960s, the country


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was moving towards manufacturing. The Factories and Machinery Act (FMA) of 1967was created to ensure the health and safety of workers in factories.

The FMA was the cornerstone of occupational health and safety legislation in Malaysiauntil the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) in 1994. The introduction of this

comprehensive legislation was in response to the need to cover a more diverse employeebase and newer hazards introduced in the workplace.

The National Council for Occupational Safety and Health was established under the OSHAct of 1994. This Council is composed of 15 council members with tripartiterepresentation from Government, employers, employees and OSH professionals (with atleast one woman member). The OSH Act also contains provisions for formulatingregulations and Codes of Practice (COPs) to assist the employers to comply with the Act.

A series of regulations, introduced under OSHA 1994, address the establishment ofmechanisms to implement OSH in workplaces. For example, workplaces with five or

more workers are required to formulate a Safety and Health Policy. The Safety andHealth Committee Regulations 1996 requires establishments with 40 workers and aboveto form a safety and health committee. The committee is required to identify hazards atthe workplace, institute control measures, investigate adverse incidents and conductauditsxvi.

Malaysia has ratified at least 15 ILO Conventions on occupational health and safety. Inaddition to those listed in Table 8, the country has ratified the followingxvii:

ILO 29 Forced Labour Convention ILO 50 Recruiting of Indigenous Workers Convention ILO 64 Contracts of Employment (Indigenous Workers) Convention ILO 65 Penal Sanctions (Indigenous Workers) Convention ILO 88 Employment Service Convention ILO 95 Protection of Wages Convention ILO 98 Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining Convention ILO 100 Equal Remuneration Convention ILO 105 Abolition of Forced Labour Convention ILO 119 Guarding of Machinery Convention ILO 123 Minimum Age (Underground Work) Convention\ ILO 138 Minimum Age Convention


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Table 8. Status of Malaysias Participation in Selected ILO OSH Treaties

ILO OHS Treaty Ratification StatusILO 81 Labour Inspection Convention YESILO 121 Employment Injury Benefits Convention NOILO 139 Occupational Cancer Convention NOILO 144 Tripartite Consultation YES

ILO 148 Occupational Hazards and Working Environment Convention NOILO 155 Occupational Safety /Health Convention NOILO 161 Occupational Health Services Convention NOILO 162 Asbestos at Work Convention NOILO 170 Chemicals at Work Convention NOILO 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention YESSource: www.ilo.org last accessed 28 March 2006

KEY ISSUES AND CHALLENGES

The Malaysian economy is poised to enter the post-industrial phase of development with

the services sector assuming a larger and more dynamic role in the economy. This entailsdrastic changes in work processes and work exposures. Malaysias challenge lies inadapting the policy and programme environment to respond to the changes in the natureof work, and the qualities of the workforce as the transition occurs.

Although there is an effective support for the formal sector of the employment market,much work and effort need to be done for workers in small and medium-sized industries.The same goes to those workers in the informal sectors, in ensuring better protectionfrom work-related hazards and exposures. The presence of a large number of immigrantworkers, especially those who are undocumented, compounds the problem associatedwith occupational safety and health. Nevertheless, various approaches have been made by

several agencies in enhancing safety and health of immigrant workers. This include easyaccess to medical services through-out the country and continuous collaboration withcountries of origin in improving mechanism related to occupational health and safety.

The multisectoral nature of Malaysias occupational health and safety system is both anasset and a challenge. Having the various stakeholders involved broadens ownership ofoccupational health and safety initiatives, but it also increases the demands for effectivecross-agency communication and collaboration. Ensuring standardization in progressindicators and data collection will be vital to strengthening the current surveillancecapacity. The existing coordination of occupational health and safety service provisionneed to be strengthened.

Finally, strengthening of the tripartite role in order to raise the standard of occupationalsafety and health is very essential in accompanying the countrys economic transition inorder to meet the demand and challenge of globalization. This encompass not only hazardidentification and disease management but also the promotion of preventive safety andhealth culture.


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i Official government website, Department of Statistics Malaysia, www.statistics.gov.my/english/ lastaccessed 31 March 2006.ii WHO WPRO Regional Database at http://www.who.wpro.int/last accessed 28 March 2006.iii Official government website, Department of Statistics Malaysia, www.statistics.gov.my/english/ last

accessed 31 March 2006.iv WHO WPRO Regional Database at http://www.who.wpro.int/last accessed 28 March 2006v CIA World Factbook, Malaysia at http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/my.htmllastaccessed 28 March 2006.vi WHO WPRO Regional Database at http://www.who.wpro.int/last accessed 28 March 2006.vii Ibid.viii Che Man, AB and Musri M. Occupational safety and health system and programme in Malaysia. Asia-Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety 2005;12:30-35.ix World Health Organization. Malaysia Environmental Health Country Profile. WHO-Western PacificRegional Office, Manila, Philippines, January 2005.x Official government website, Department of Statistics Malaysia, www.statistics.gov.my/english/ lastaccessed 31 March 2006.xi Newman, N. Malaysias cracking down on illegal workers. Oxford Prospect, June 2005. At

http://www.oxfordprospect.co.uk/Illegal%20Workers.htmlast accessed 31 March 2006.xii Knapathy V. International migration and labour market developments in Asia: economic recovery, thelabour market and migrant workers in Malaysia. Report prepared for the 2004 Workshop onInternationalMigration and Labour Markets in Asia organised by the Japan Institute for Labour Policy and Training(JILPT) supported by the Government of Japan, Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development(OECD) and the International Labour Office (ILO), February 2004.xiii Malaysia Society for Occupational Safety and Health at http://www.msosh.org.my/aboutus.htm lastaccessed 30 March 2006.xiv

Rampal KG, Aw TC, Jefferelli SB.(2002). Occupational health in Malaysia. In LaDou J

(Ed).Occupational Medicine in Industrializing Countries. (pp 409-425). Philadelphia:Hanley & Belfus,Inc.xv Hashim SB, Amin FB, Khalid HM. Malaysia Country Report, WHO/ILO Meeting on StrengtheningOccupational Health and Safety, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 2005.xvi Che Man, AB and Musri M. Occupational safety and health system and programme in Malaysia. Asia-Pacific Newsletter on Occupational Health and Safety 2005;12:30-35.xvii Malaysian Trade Union Congress, OSH Legislation and its implementation, inhttp://www.mtuc.org.my/osh_profile_malaysia.htmlast accessed 31 March 2006.

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