Date : 10 January 2012 (Tuesday)
Time: 8.30 – 11.30 am
Topic : Briefing on KPAS (Keselamatan Pekerja & Alam Sekitar)
Person In Charge : PPKP Encik Rahimy & En Muhammad Zahir.
The day started with Encik Rahimy briefing us on KPAS. According to him, there are 2 PPKPs who are in charge in this unit, i.e. himself and En Muhammad Zahir.
KPAS is also known as Occupational Health (OH).
KPAS is governed by an important law, that is the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994.
Vision
Towards creating a safe and healthy working environment for the staffs of Ministry of Health (MOH) in Kubang Pasu as well as for the customers through health promotion.
Mission
To create a conducive working environment by identifying hazards and taking actions to manage them, and to promote a quality level of health through prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability between men and work.
ACTIVITIES OF KPAS :
Towards creating a safe and healthy working environment for the staffs of Ministry of Health (MOH) in Kubang Pasu as well as for the customers through health promotion.
Mission
To create a conducive working environment by identifying hazards and taking actions to manage them, and to promote a quality level of health through prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability between men and work.
ACTIVITIES OF KPAS :
1. Assessment of building plan
2. Assessment of schools
3. Assessment of licence applications for kindergartens
4. Assessment of licence applications for bird nest farming
5. Assessment of licence application for the sale of second hand goods
6. Assessment of Program Latihan Khidmat Negara (PLKN) site.
7. Water Sampling for PLKN
8. Investigate complaints regarding occupational health and safety
9. Worker’s Health Surveillance
10. Worker’s Health Checkup
11. Supervising Hepatitis B injection for those at risk
12. Audit for the safety of facilities
ASSESSMENT OF BUILDING PLAN
KPAS receives building plans (pelan bangunan) from Majlis Daerah Kubang Pasu (MDKB) and others. Upon receiving the building plan, KPAS is given a grace period of 14 days. Within these 14 days, KPAS has to confirm the location of the building and verify the plan.
Once the plan is verified and approved, a letter is send to the developer, telling that there is no objection to the building plan; however, they have to make sure that:
(i) They hire a qualified architect to design the construction of building
(ii) There is no water collection at the site which will favour mosquitoes to breed
(iii) There is no air pollution due to dust from the construction site, especially if it is near the housing area. (They can build a fence around the construction site.)
(iv) They report any foreign workers to KPAS, so that medical examination can be performed on them to identify any communicable diseases carried by them.
(v) They have all the personal protective equipments (PPE) in the workplace. Officers from Jabatan Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan (JKKP) will inspect the workplace for these equipments.
E.g. they make sure that the staffs in vector unit are well equipped with PPE so that they are well protected. During fogging, the handlers need to be wear goggles, ear muffs, coveralls, gloves, and boots. RM50000 compound is imposed on the employer if the PPE is not provided, whereas a RM1000 compound is imposed on the employee if they refuse to use the PPE provided.
ASSESSMENT OF SCHOOLS
KPAS also conduct sanitary assessment in schools and learning institutes.
They assess the canteens, toilets, classrooms etc for cleanliness.
They make sure that there are no mosquito breeding sites in schools and institutes, as dengue is a common problem in this district.
ASSESSMENT OF LICENCE APPLICATION FOR KINDERGARTENS
KPAS will receive letter from Jabatan Pendidikan Daerah, and KPAS will go and survey the building used as kindergartens. They make sure that the lighting, ventilation, safety of the premises are maintained and is adequate.
ASSESSMENT OF LICENCE APPLICATION FOR BUILDING NESTING HOUSES FOR BIRDS
The building is assessed in terms of its location. If the building is near the housing area, KPAS makes sure that it does not compromise the health of the villagers. These nesting houses can cause noise pollution; however, KPAS makes sure that this does not affect the villager’s health. Besides, the bird droppings are a source of infection. Hence, the owner has to make sure that the bird droppings are disposed properly. After the approval, the veterinary department will follow up these places and they make sure that the surrounding area is clean, and without rodents, cockroaches, flies or mosquito breeding areas.
INVESTIGATE COMPLAINTS REGARDING OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH AND SAFETY
KPAS will investigate any complaints from the public related to health. For an example, KPAS recently received a letter from the public regarding their objection towards the building of chicken coops near their housing area.
KPAS will also investigate complaints received from the workers regarding any compromise in their safety and health in the workplace.
En Rahimy also told us that the unit have to be careful not to reveal the identity of the person who lodged the complaint as this will bring a lot of conflicts.
ASSESSMENT OF THE SITE FOR PLKN
En Muhammad Zahir told us that there are 4 units which are involved in monitoring the National Service Programme in Malaysia. These are:
(i) KPAS : They will check the building and conduct sanitary assessment to make sure that it is safe for the trainees to carry out activities.
(ii) Vector Control Unit : They will control vectors, such as mosquitoes, rats, and cockroaches at the site, making sure it is safe for the trainees to carry out their activities.
(iii) Food Quality Control: done before and while the trainees are at the site.
(iv) KMAM : They will test the water from the river and drinking water for bacteria such as E coli.
WATER SAMPLING FOR PLKN SITE
Water sampling for microbes in PLKN site is done. The sample is taken from 4 different stations, usually from shaded areas, and it is send to lab in Ipoh (Makmal Kawalan Mutu Awam) within 24 hours. The sample is kept at a temperature of 4 – 10°C. Water sampling is done twice, once before and another during the national service programme.
If the river is found to have microbes, such as Leptospirosis, the trainees will not be allowed to use it for any activities.
HAZE
No cases of haze were reported for the past few months in this district. However, if it happens, KPAS is required to send daily reports to Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri (JKN).
WORKER’S HEALTH CHECKUP
All the staffs in district health office will undergo medical check-up at least once a year. Blood tests are done, blood pressure and body mass index measured. If they are found to be obese, or have hypertension or any other diseases, they will be referred to a medical officer. This is to increase the level of health and well being of the staffs through prevention and early detection. Staffs are encouraged to adopt a healthy lifestyle. In fact, the staffs are not allowed to eat oily food during meetings. Instead, they are served fruits.
SUPERVISING HEPATITIS B VACCINATION FOR THOSE AT RISK
It is mandatory for health care workers to get their hepatitis B vaccination. They include doctors, nurses as well as medical assistants. Hepatitis B vaccination is given for free to these workers as a preventive measure.
After the briefing, we visited one of the nesting area for birds in Kubang Pasu.
Prepared by,
Neerusha Kaisbain.
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