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4th National Conference on Wind & Earthquake Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 682 (2021) 012005 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012005

Evaluation of occupational safety and health at

construction site in state of Perlis

A Ayob1*, A M Ibrahim2, H Mokhtar3, N R Syamsyiah4, Din A Z M5, M Z A

M Zahid6, M A Rahim7, M H Zakaria8
1,2,6,7
Faculty of Civil Engineering Technology, Kompleks Pengajian Jejawi 3,
Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia
3
Faculty of Civil Engineering, Universiti Teknologi MARA, Cawangan Pahang,
26400 Bandar Tun Razak, Pahang, Malaysia
4
Architecture Department, Engineering Faculty, Universitas Muhammadiyah
Surakata, Jl. A. Yani Tromol Pos 1 Pabelan Kartasura 57102, Indonesia
5
Department of Occupational Safety and Health, Level 1 3 4 & 5, Block D4,
Complex D, Fed. Government Administrative Centre, 62530 Putrajaya, Malaysia
8
Institute of Engineering Mathematics, Faculty of Applied and Human Sciences
Universiti Malaysia Perlis, 02600 Arau, Perlis, Malaysia

Abstract. This current study evaluates occupational safety and health

(OSH) practices for 35 medium-and high-grade contractors in the state of
Perlis by using structured questionnaires and interviews. Among the 70%
of valid participants, majority (Scale Interval Index = 4.16) agreed that
“failure to comply with OSH Act” is the main challenge to safety. They
strongly believed that complying with OSH standards is beneficial to “the
elimination of injury and death” and that “providing the necessary safety
gears” at the construction site is among the effective methods to promote
efficient OSH among the workers. Companies with adequate OSH
management systems have a better record in terms of safety and
performance than those that do not have such systems.

1. Introduction
Occupational safety and health (OSH) is well recognized through the denotation
reached by the Joint International Labor Organization and World Health
Organization Committee on Occupational Health in 1950 [1]. OSH covers the
following: the protection of employees from risks arising from factors inauspicious
to health; the setting and maintenance of the employees in an occupational
condition adjusted to their physiological and psychological potentialities; and the
adjustment of a job to a man and of each man to his work [2]. In Malaysia, the
Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 is accountable for the
following: administering, managing, and enforcing legislation in accordance to
OSH; anticipating and cultivating safety culture; and making each job and
workplace safe and healthy for all [3]. A safety policy indicates the commitment of

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4th National Conference on Wind & Earthquake Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 682 (2021) 012005 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012005

the upper management to ensure safe work conditions, techniques, methods, and
procedures for workers in every category.
Although basic awareness of OSH increases from year to year, accidents and
injuries occur in the workplaces of every organization. The total number of
occupational deaths increased by approximately 10% from 2013 to 2016 for all job
sectors in Malaysia, specifically manufacturing and agriculture, construction,
transportation, forestry, and logging [4]. International Labor Organization (2005, 2)
reported that the rates of fatalities at construction sites in an industrialized nation
are between 25% and 40%, which amounts to one in every six work-associated
fatalities, despite that the construction sector only employs between 6% to 10% of
the total workforce. In 2004, the national competitiveness index for Malaysia was
approximately 4.9 with a fatal mishap frequency scale of contingency of about 13
workplace deaths per 100,000 employees [5].
Problems associated with compliance to OSHA in the Malaysian construction
industry could be due to inadequate enforcement and monitoring by the
Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). In 2015, only 110 DOSH
officers were in charge of 24,000 active sites in operation, and only one third of the
sites were checked [6]. In 2018, a total of 4,838 inspections were conducted with
4,385 compounds and notices, and 31 court lawsuits were made for various
offences associated with OSH non-compliance in the workplace nationwide. Many
employers are reluctant to establish comprehensive accident mitigation policies and
focus only on increasing profit. They have low awareness of the long term-benefits
of safety practices while bidding, resulting in cost and corner deficits [7]. This
current study aimed to evaluate OSH practices among the medium and high-grade
contractors of G5 to G7 in the state of Perlis. The specific objectives are to study
safety practice challenges, as well as its benefits, and the measures to be taken to
promote better OSH in construction sites.

2. Literature Review
OSH regulation at workplace is not a new societal matter. Beginning from the
constitution of King Henry (1068-1135), lords were in-charged and liable for their
servants’ safety, injury, or death due to negligence [8]. The reasoning behind this
was that lords often had good knowledge of servants’ duties and hence the risk
associated with such duties [1]. In the nineteenth century, the industrial revolution
transformed the operations of the English workforce, and unsafe factories and
foundries were established across England. Mechanization and the increasing size
of production resulted in the increasing complexity and congestion in the
workplace environment, and the human–machine interface was uncommon. This
scenario challenged the employers’ consciousness, as they were unable to
supervise all constituents of the working environment, resulting in frequent
industrial accidents. In this era, reality outpaced the law, and no regulation of
working conditions existed. These developments raised OSH questions before the
parliament, and lawsuits were filed. Free market ideology, which supports the
ideology for prior regulation, advocates that those who are unable to administer
OSH adequately will suffer economically, because off long-term loss of profit.
The industrial revolution had inculcated the idea of profit acclimatization and is
considerably abetted by the absence of OSH legislation, necessitating low

2
4th National Conference on Wind & Earthquake Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 682 (2021) 012005 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012005

overheads for employers to remain competitive. Hence, parliament interfered by

using one system that is perceived to be viable, namely, legislation.
The OSHA 1994 catered to the main legislative system. It is supported by and
supplemented with OSH-Management Plan 2015, which guides the combination of
efforts that brings huge benefits to key stakeholders, country social partners, the
general community, and the whole nation via increased efficiency, productivity,
competitiveness, and sustainability in organizations due to the improved OSH.
Tripartite partners, such as large private contractors that contribute wealth to the
country through their business operations, create hazards linked to risks in the
workplace. Therefore, they need to deliver their fair share of OSH duty, such as
introducing their own categorical guidelines and developing an OSH code of
practice. For instance, they need to train competence site safety supervisors in
construction. This competence officer should obtain proficiency via education and
certification and attain a professional level. However, medium-grade or nominated
contractors often face stiff competition due to the long-term decrease in demand
and unstable work nature. Many of them put the lowest price on their project tender
to try to attract the principal contractor, and at the same time, they attempt to
maximize the profit margin by slashing the budget for safety measures [7].
Efforts to improve the awareness of employers, workers, and the public of the need
for a safe workplace with no health risks necessitate a diligent endeavor and the
participation of stakeholders [9]. Effective safety can be obtained through the
appropriate management of the interaction between technological system and
people. Promoting safe work practices via the development of standard safety signs
and a code of practice on construction in highly dangerous sites in needed. A safety
incentive program can be a part of the scheme that is implemented along with
safety education [10].
DOSH reported that the death toll is at 7 for every 100,000 employers in the
construction sector, which is greater than that in Singapore (6), Australia (4), and
the United Kingdom (2). Some of the prosecuted cases were due to inadequate or
lack of OSH management, as follows: failure to provide safety measures for
plastering work and non-usage of safety gear for work sites higher than 10 feet.
Hence, the problem is caused by laxity and neglect and can be solved by the
intense revamping of occupational hazard mitigation and control in Malaysia. A
safer and healthier working environment has a significant contribution to the
sustainable development of the construction sector.

3. Methodology
A pilot study was adopted to discover the quality and reliability of research
instruments from 1st to 20th December 2019, which included 12 experienced
construction practitioners in Perlis, namely, site safety supervisors (3), safety and
health officers (3), site engineers (3), and academicians with working experience in
a construction site (3). The reliability test was tested through the Cronbach’s
alpha() coefficient in the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) software
version 22. The average  value tested for the approaches in this pilot survey was
0.818. Thus, the questionnaire was verified as reliable. The questionnaire survey
via online form and face-to-face interviews conducted from 21st December 2019 to

3
4th National Conference on Wind & Earthquake Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 682 (2021) 012005 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012005

15th February 2020. Fifty samples of construction population in Perlis from

medium-grade (G5 and G6) and high-grade (G7) construction companies were
chosen based on their higher working capacity and greater responsibility for a
substantial portion of the industry’s output compared with smaller classes [11,12].
The questionnaires were divided into four sections, as follows: Section A, open-
ended demographic details; Section B, challenges of OSH practices in construction
projects; Section C, benefits of implementing OSH practices; and Section D,
measures to promote OSH practices in construction projects. Sections B, C, and D
consisted of close-ended questions using a five-point average index. The obtained
data were analyzed using the Scale Internal Index (SII), level of agreement of
descriptive statistics (LA) and standard deviation (SD, 13) methods, through (1 =
strongly disagree, 1.0  SII  1.5; 2 = disagree, 1.5  SII  2.5; 3 = neutral, 2.5 
SII  3.5; 4 = agree, 3.5  SII  4.5; 5 = strongly agree, 4.5  SII 5.0), as shown
in Eqs. 1 and 2.
 

Mean item = . (1)




ℎ
 
 
− 
 
 

Scale Interval Index = . (2)

 


4. Results and discussion

4.1. Demographic information
For Section A, approximately 70% of the participants successfully answered the
survey by using online forms (31.28%) and face-to-face interviews (68.72%). Of
the respondents, 14.28%, 11.43%, and 74.28% were from G5, G6, and G7
companies, respectively. The respondents involved in the survey have 5–19.9 years
(68.66%) of experience with various educational backgrounds, were mostly male
(68.57%) of different designations such as 31.43%, 20.00%. 25.71%, and 22.86%,
were site safety supervisors, safety and health officer, site engineers, and project
managers, respectively.

4.2. Challenges of OSH practices

For Section B, most of the participants agreed that the challenges in implementing
OSH are related to “failure to comply with OSHA,” “workers’ attitude,” and
“inadequate training,” which ranked first (SII =4.16), second (SII =4.03), and third
(SII =4.02), respectively (table 1).

Table 1. Challenges of OHS practices.

Challenges of OHS practices Rank SII SD LA
Failure to comply with OSHA 1 4.16 0.88 Agree
Workers’ attitude 2 4.03 0.59 Agree
Inadequate training 3 4.02 0.86 Agree
Lack of awareness towards OSH practices 4 3.97 0.85 Agree
Employer supply lack of PPE 5 3.91 1.03 Agree
Uncertain operation procedures 6 3.88 0.87 Agree
Lack of top management support 7 3.69 1.12 Agree
OSH programme is not in place 8 3.66 1.15 Agree
OHS budget allocated is insufficient 9 3.66 1.07 Agree

4
4th National Conference on Wind & Earthquake Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 682 (2021) 012005 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012005

Delayed introduction of new technology in

construction safety 10 3.56 1.06 Agree

The non-compliance with OSH legislation was associated with the general duties
of employers and self-employed contractors to their employees. Most of the time,
employers fail to provide safe work systems, leading to workers’ attitude of
negligence toward safety. During the interview, workers mentioned the employer’s
failure to report the accidents at working sites.

4.3. Benefits of OSH practices

Most of the respondents strongly agreed that OSH practices will “eliminate injuries
and death,” and this item had a SII of 4.50 and ranked first (table 2). The
respondents agreed that OSH practices will “build a safe workplace environment”
and “increase the employer’s responsibility,” which ranked second (SII = 4.34) and
third (SII = 4.31), respectively.

Table 2. Benefits of OSH practices at construction site

Benefits of OHS practices Rank SII SD LA
Elimination of injuries and death 1 4.50 0.62 Strongly agree
Build a safe workplace environment 2 4.34 0.59 Agree
Increase the employer’s responsibility 3 4.31 0.47 Agree
Improve the company’s reputation 4 4.28 0.68 Agree
Uplift motivation of employees 5 4.28 0.58 Agree
Encourage creativity and innovation 6 4.16 0.68 Agree
Reduce the rate of absenteeism 7 4.13 0.70 Agree
Minimizing damage to the environment 8 4.09 1.03 Agree

4.4. Promotion of OSH practices

Table 3 shows the respondents strongly agreed with “provide the necessary safety
gears,” and “strict guideline provided by DOSH” to identify the suitable risk
management which ranked first (SII = 4.53) and second (SII = 4.51), respectively,
in promoting OSH at a construction site.

Table 3. Promotion of OSH practices

Promotion of OHS practices Rank SII SD LA

Provide the necessary safety gears 1 4.53 0.51 Strongly agree
Strict guideline provided by DOSH 2 4.51 0.50 Strongly agree
Regular training safety briefings 3 4.47 0.62 Agree
Provide proper signage of safety procedure 4 4.47 0.50 Agree
Put in place first aid kit, safety rules and 5 4.34 0.70 Agree
safety and health committee
Manage the registration of CIDB Card and 6 4.34 0.65 Agree
provide social security for workers
Apply appropriate responsibility on 7 4.16 0.51 Agree
management level of OSH issues
Introduce annual award for Best Project 8 4.16 0.67 Agree
Owner or contractor for those who has
contributed to safety and health

5
4th National Conference on Wind & Earthquake Engineering IOP Publishing
IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environmental Science 682 (2021) 012005 doi:10.1088/1755-1315/682/1/012005

5. Conclusions
The majority of construction workers (70%) in the state of Perlis have problems
with the practice of OSH, and such problems are related to the non-performance or
lack of compliance with OSHA. The workers strongly highlighted the OSH
practices that are useful in minimizing accidents, injuries, and fatalities. To
promote and emphasize the safety culture at workplaces, the participants agreed
that the employer should supply sufficient and necessary safety gear. Experience
has revealed that a preventive safety practice is beneficial for the entire team of
workers, employers, communities, and the government alike. The presence of high-
safety standards in some developed nations is the result of long-term policies
emboldening tripartite collective dialogue, mutual negotiation between trade
unions and employers, and adequate health and safety legislation supported by
strict labor inspection.

6. References
[1] Leka S, Jain A, Andreou N, Hollis D and Zwetsloot G 2016 The Changing
Landscape of OSH Regulation in the UK, Final Report for the Institution of
Occupational Safety and Health, (The University of Nottingham)
[2] International Labour Organization 2005 Report: Facts on Safety at Work
(Geneva, Switzeland)
[3] Law of Malaysia, Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994
[4] Ayob A, Shaari A A, Zaki M F M and M A C Munaaim 2018 4th Int. Conf.
on Civil and Environ. Eng. for Sustainability (Malaysia) IOP Conf. Series:
Earth and Environ. Sci. 140(1)
[5] Ministry of Human Resources 2015 Occupational Safety and Health Master
Plan for Malaysia 2015. http://repositorio.unan.edu.ni/2986/1/5624.pdf
[6] Hamid A R A, Razak A R A, Yusof A M, Jaya R P, Zakaria R, Aminudin E,
Anuar M A S K, Yahya K, Haron Z, Yunus R, and Rashid A I 2019 The
12th Int. Civil Eng. Post Graduate Conf. - The 3rd Int. Sym. on Expertise
of Eng. Design (Malaysia) IOP Conf. Series: Earth and Environ. Sci.
220(1), 012043
[7] Yusof N and Misnan M S 2019 Int. Con. Build Environ. Eng. (Malaysia)
Web of Conferences, 266, 05008
[8] Rabinowitz R S and Hager M M 2000 M Cornell Int. Law J. 33(2), 372-433
[9] Kamar M I F, Lop N S, Mat Salleh N, Mamter S, and Suhaimi H A 2014 4th
Int. Build. Control Conf. (Malaysia) E3S Web of Conferences, 3, 01019
[10] Ismail F, Ahmad N, Janipha N A I, and Ismail R 2012 Procedia - Social
Behav. Sci. 36, 573–82
[11] Ayob A, Low C K, Zaki M F M and Ahmad A G 2018 Malaysian Constr.
Res. J. 26(3)
[12] Zainon A, Ayob A, Munaaim M M C, Zaki M F M and Elyas S F 2016 Res.
J. Fisheries Hydrobiol. 11(3), 24–30
[13] Affandi R and Chia H T 2013 UNIMAS e-Journal Civil Eng. 4(2), 39-44