ERRANT contractors that fail to observe standard operating procedures (SOPs) under the conditional movement control order (CMCO) risk having their licences suspended, warned Works Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof.
This came after 44 construction workers tested positive for Covid-19 on May 24 due to cramped quarters on site. Of the 44, 43 were foreign workers.
“The law makes it the responsibility of employers to ensure that workers have proper accommodation with adequate amenities as provided by the law. With the CMCO in place, this requirement is further strengthened with other SOPs to ensure that workers’ accommodations are safe from becoming a place where Covid-19 can spread.
“Contractors who fail to follow the CMCO SOPs at construction sites and in regard to workers’ accommodations will not be allowed to start their operations.
“If they are found to not fulfil the requirements under Act 446, action may be taken against them by the relevant authorities. If any contractor fails to abide by any written law, the CIDB (Construction Industry Development Board) can take disciplinary action against them, which includes the suspension or cancellation of their contractor’s registration,” Fadillah said in a May 26 statement.
The Covid-19 cases were discovered after the contractor sent his workers for clinical tests in preparation to starting work, as required under the CMCO SOPs.
“The construction site had not started operations when the cases were discovered. These latest cases, as with the earlier incident involving construction workers, have shown that the infections took place at the workers’ cramped accommodations which make it impossible to practise any form of social distancing,” said Fadillah.
He issued a firm reminder to all contractors that they have a responsibility to ensure that their construction sites and also their workers’ accommodation adhere strictly to CMCO SOPs in order to stem the spread of Covid-19.
In the Construction Industry Transformation Programme (CITP), which began in 2016, one of the main initiatives is to ensure that workers’ accommodations in construction sites adhered to the minimum standard as required by the law.
Further, CIDB in collaboration with Standards Malaysia introduced the Malaysian Standard for Construction Site Workers’ Amenities and Accommodation (MS 2593:2015) and last year, the Workers’ Minimum Standards of Housing and Amenities Act (Act 466) under the Labour Department, Ministry of Human Resources, was amended to include workers in all industries, including the construction sector.
He added that the best way for the construction industry to move forward post-Covid-19 is to ensure that they are no longer dependent on cheap foreign labour.
“Instead, they must invest in hiring skilled local workers and use technology – Industrialised Building System (IBS), mechanisation and automation – to enhance the quality, safety, sustainability and productivity of their construction projects,” said Fadillah. – May 27, 2020
