MORE sessions on Health, Safety, Security and Environment (HSSE) Management; Safety Culture; and Occupational Health Services took place yesterday, at the conclusion of the HSSE Construction Conference and BUILDEX Expo at the International Convention Centre (ICC) in Berakas.

In an interview, Pengiran Azman bin Pengiran Badarudin, Head of Health, Safety and Environment Section under the Department of Administration and Finance at the Public Works Department (JKR), spoke about the challenges in implementing Health and Safety standards.

He said, “For us to be on par with other industries worldwide we in the government and construction companies need to have the best practice of Occupational Safety and Health Management System (OSHMS).

“This system is one of the tools that is often used and proven to save lives. Everybody has to focus their energy and effort in saving workers’ life,” he added.

“We would like to convince all these construction companies to change their mindset and bring a culture of safety into their organisations. What is important in the construction industry is actually the outcome of all their projects, whether large or small, on land or at sea. They have to elevate their safety standards into a level that will improve and maximise their productivity. Otherwise, if they are not serious in dealing with these situations, they will end up with bad reputation, which will end their business.

“This is what happened in a recent accident, which is under investigation. They have to learn from this incident. This is probably an example that other construction companies have to think about.

“For this conference, we hope we can promote Health and Safety in Brunei Darussalam, especially in the construction industry, which has the highest accident rates when compared to other industries in Brunei.”

Yesterday morning opened with a panel session titled ‘Experience Sharing in Managing HSSE Risks in the Construction Site from the Industry Leaders’, followed by sessions on ‘HSSE Management from an Environmental Perspective for Long-Term Sustainability’, ‘Improve and Maximise Productivity – How to Lead, Manage and Supervise your Project Team’, ‘Interdependent Safety Culture’, ‘The Challenges of Occupational Health Services in the Construction Industry’ and ‘Risk Based Thinking in Construction Industry: The OSH Perspective’.

The BUILDEX Expo set up just outside of the Muzakarah Hall at the ICC saw 10 exhibitors, among them JKR, Megamas Training Company Sdn Bhd, Bureau Veritas Brunei, Aewon Sherwood Protective Apparel, Safetyworks Sdn Bhd, Makmur CT Sdn Bhd, Brunei Fire and Rescue, Authority for Building Control and Construction Industry (ABCi), and the Public Health Services under the Ministry of Health.

The HSSE Construction Conference and BUILDEX Expo was co-organised by ABCi, JKR, and Confex, with support from the Ministry of Development.

 

Borneo Bulletin
24 August 2017