An Indonesian construction worker was killed on 1 JULY when a scaffolding working platform fell from the eighth floor of a building at a Bandar Tanjong Pinang construction site, striking him on a lower-level external walkway.
The Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) Penang branch issued a prohibition notice to halt work immediately at the site, along with a non-disturbance order to preserve the scene until investigations are completed.
The investigation focuses on Sections 15(1) and 17(1) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), which cover employers’ duties to ensure workplace safety. Under these provisions, employers face fines up to RM500,000 or imprisonment of up to two years, or both, upon conviction.
The incident marks the fourth fatal construction accident in Penang this year. On 6 FEBRUARY, a worker was killed when his cement truck overturned and plunged into the basement of a Penang Hospital extension site. On 19 MARCH, a worker was struck by falling plywood at a Bukit Minyak Industrial Park site after a load being lifted by a crane became dislodged, causing him to fall from a height of about six metres. He died on 24 MARCH at Hospital Seberang Jaya. On 29 MAY, a worker was crushed by a wall during demolition work at a site on Jalan Guar Perahu Indah in Bukit Mertajam.
In each case, DOSH issued prohibition notices or stop-work orders and launched investigations under Act 514.
Nationally, DOSH conducted three construction site operations in 2024, inspecting 475 sites and issuing 416 prohibition notices, 498 instruction letters, and nine proposed prosecutions, according to a Bernama report. The operations focused on compliance with the Construction Work (Design and Management) Regulations 2024, which came into effect on 1 JUNE 2024 and set obligations for clients, designers and builders to manage projects safely.
The construction sector recorded 88 fatal occupational injuries in 2023, the highest of any sector and up from 72 in 2022, according to DOSM data. Penang recorded the highest occupational injury rate among all states at 4.78 per 1,000 workers.
With four deaths at Penang construction sites in the seven months since the CDM Regulations took effect, the pattern raises questions about what follows a prohibition notice and whether the enforcement cycle is producing the intended result.
