Awareness of the Regulations and Industry Codes of Practice Vis-a-Vis the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994: A Study among the Masters and Crews Working in Vessels of Commercial Fishing Industry

Abstract

The Fisheries Act 1985 is the current legislation regulating the fishing industry in Malaysia. However in terms of occupational safety and health at the workplace, the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act 1994 are applicable to all the fishing operations in Malaysia. The activities of fishing on vessels are exposed to lots of hazards due to unsafe act and unsafe conditions. As a result, accidents at the workplace happen due to the aforementioned reasons. Hence, the workplaces for Masters and Crews in fishing vessels must be safe and conducive to work. Following the enactment of the OSH Act in 1994, various initiatives have been implemented by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) to increase awareness and knowledge of OSH in the workplace, including among Masters and Crews working in fishing vessels. DOSH have also circulated “Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in Fishing and Aquaculture Operations”. At this juncture, both the employer and employees ought to be well-informed of some of the requirements stipulated in the OSH Act 1994 which have bearing on the safety of the Masters and Crews working in fishing vessels. The objective of this study was to determine the level of OSH awareness and knowledge among the Masters and the Crews working in fishing vessels with regards to the safety at the workplace. A study was conducted using questionnaire addressing general OSH issues, OSH legislations, occupational hazards at the workplace and the use of personal protective equipment (PPE).

DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n5p269