BERNAMA – TOURISM SECURITY AWARENESS STILL LOW

ALOR GAJAH, June 29 (Bernama) – The tourism industry’s awareness of safety aspects remains low despite the rapid development of the sector, especially in Sabah and Melaka.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Executive Secretary Maj. (R) Hanif Maidin noted that the tourism industry still views safety as a minor concern compared to the construction and manufacturing sectors.

“The reality is that risks and dangers are present everywhere. We observe that the awareness level in the tourism industry is still low,” Pengkalan Balak told reporters today at the NIOSH Corporate Social Responsibility Program – Beach Cleanup in Pantai Padang Kemunting.

He said NIOSH would begin providing more detailed information to travel industry operators on the Occupational Health and Safety (Amendment) Act 2022, which came into effect on June 1.

He added that NIOSH will also work with the Department of Tourism, Arts and Culture and tourism agencies in each state.

He explained that under the amended act, which now covers the tourism industry, employers are obliged to conduct a risk assessment in the workplace and appoint occupational health and safety coordinators.

“We believe this is crucial, especially in the case of tourism in coastal and island areas, where safety issues are often overlooked, despite known and recognised threats.

“We therefore want to see safety measures implemented before the start of tourism activities, as well as increased security in terms of boats, designated swimming areas and safety equipment,” he said.

He also noted that between January and October 2023, the Department of Occupational Health and Safety recorded 176 cases of accidents resulting in short-term disability in the hotel and restaurant sector.

Earlier, more than 100 volunteers from NIOSH and students from the Melaka Advanced Technology Training Centre collected 39.5kg of rubbish from almost one kilometre of the Pantai Kemunting shoreline.

–BERNAMA

BERNAMA provides timely, authentic and comprehensive news and information disseminated through BERNAMA Wires; www.bernama.com; BERNAMA TV on Astro 502, unifi TV 631 and MYTV 121 IFLIX and BERNAMA Radio on FM93.9 (Klang Valley), FM107.5 (Johor Bahru), FM107.9 (Kota Kinabalu) and FM100.9 (Kuching).

Follow us on social media:
Facebook : @bernamaofficial, @bernamatv, @bernamaradio
Twitter: @bernama.com, @BernamaTV, @bernamaradio
Instagram: @bernamaofficial, @bernamatvofficial, @bernamaradioofficial
TIK Tok : @bernamaofficial