The Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue calls on the government to facilitate industry dialogue on upgrading safety standards through AI technology adoption.
BEING a human resources practitioner for many years, I have seen the evolutionary progress in the management of safety and health in industries.
The Occupational Safety and Health Act (Osha) 1994 transformed Malaysia’s workplace safety from a prescriptive, government-enforced system into a modern, self-regulatory framework.
Before Osha 1994, legislation like the Factories and Machinery Act 1967 was highly prescriptive and limited to specific sectors like manufacturing and construction.
Osha 1994 broadened the scope holistically to address both physical and psychological health hazards. This evolution shifted accountability squarely onto employers and employees, culminating in the comprehensive 2022 amendments that expanded coverage to nearly all workplaces and mandated strict risk management.
Currently, safety and health are being viewed through a broader lens, with many industries moving towards the implementation of environmental, social and governance (ESG) practices. This includes a stronger emphasis on the social dimension of ESG, where improving workplace safety and health systems has become a key requirement for ESG certification.
The implementation of safety and health practices is now audited not only by the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, the government authority responsible for ensuring Osha compliance, but also by external parties linked to ESG requirements.
In essence, despite existing legislation and ongoing developments, many industries remain in a reactive rather than proactive stage when addressing safety and health concerns.
It is time to raise standards and strengthen safety and health processes in industries through technological innovations that address risks in real time. This can be achieved through the AI-driven transformation of occupational safety and health (OSH) from a reactive system into one that is proactive and predictive.
By integrating computer vision, IoT sensors and predictive analytics, industries, especially high-risk sectors like manufacturing and construction, can continuously monitor environments, detect hazards before incidents occur and protect workers from dangerous tasks.
For example, AI-powered cameras can scan workspaces in real-time to ensure workers are wearing personal protective equipment and detect and flag unsafe behaviours like improper machinery operation or restricted-area breaches.
AI-equipped wearables such as smart vests, helmets or wristbands track workers’ vital signs. They can detect early signs of physical fatigue, heat stress or heart rate anomalies to prevent sudden emergencies.
To address these current realities, safety and health practitioners should be sent for training to upgrade themselves in AI technology.
With AI-driven innovation in safety and health management, processes can become more horizontally integrated and departmentally owned. This is a shift from the current vertical system, where safety behaviour is largely driven through a top-down approach.
In many organisations, the effectiveness of safety and health systems depends heavily on the commitment and seriousness of top management in enforcing the necessary processes and achieving the desired results.
With this in mind, the Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue urges the government to facilitate industry-wide dialogue on enhancing and upgrading safety and health standards through the adoption of AI technology.
The government should promote and incentivise the use of AI in workplaces to prevent accidents and strengthen workplace safety by shifting Malaysia’s safety and health culture from reactive to proactive and predictive.
Ronald Benjamin
Secretary
Association for Welfare, Community and Dialogue
