UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA

Transcription

1 PSZ 19:16 (Pind. 1/97) UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA BORANG PENGESAHAN STATUS TESIS*** JUDUL: THE SUFFICIENCY OF CURRENT TRAINING CURRICULUM FOR DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND ADEQUACY OF THE MINIMUM ACADEMIC REQUIREMENT FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER SESI PENGAJIAN: 2005/2006 Saya SABRI BIN ZAINUDDIN (HURUF BESAR) mengaku membenarkan tesis (PSM/Sarjana/Doktor Falsafah)* ini disimpan di Perpustakaan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dengan syarat-syarat kegunaan seperti berikut : 1. Tesis adalah hakmilik Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. 2. Perpustakaan Universiti Teknologi Malaysia dibenarkan membuat salinan untuk tujuan pengajian sahaja. 3. Perpustakaan dibenarkan membuat salinan tesis ini sebagai bahan pertukaran antara institusi SULIT pengajian tinggi. 4. ** Sila tandakan ( ) TERHAD TIDAK TERHAD (Mengandungi maklumat yang berdarjah keselamatan atau kepentingan Malaysia seperti yang termaktub di dalam AKTA RAHSIA RASMI 1972) (Mengandungi maklumat TERHAD yang telah ditentukan oleh organisasi/badan di mana penyelidikan dijalankan) Disahkan oleh (TANDATANGAN PENULIS) (TANDATANGAN PENYELIA) Alamat Tetap: NO. 22 JLN P9B/7 DR. ARHAM BIN ABDULLAH PRESINT 9 Nama Penyelia PUTRAJAYA. Tarikh: 17 Mei 2006 Tarikh: 17 Mei 2006 Catatan * Potong yang tidak berkenaan. ** Jika tesis ini SULIT atu TERHAD, sila lampirkan surat daripada pihak berkuasa / organisasi berkenaan dengan menyakan sekali tempoh tesis ini perlu dikelaskan sebagai SULIT atau TERHAD. *** Tesis dimaksudkan sebagai tesis bagi ijazah Doktor Falsafah dan Sarjana secara penyelidikan, atas disertasi bagi pengajian secara kerja kursus dan penyelidikan, atau Laporan Projek Sarjana Muda (PSM)

2 I/We* declare that I/we* have read through this report and to my/our opinion this report is adequate in term of scope and quality for the purpose of awarding the degree of Master of Science (Construction Management) Signature :.. Name of Supervisor : DR.ARHAM BIN ABDULLAH Date : 17 MAY 2006

3 THE SUFFICIENCY OF CURRENT TRAINING CURRICULLUM FOR DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND ADEQUACY OF THE MINIMUM ACADEMIC REQUIREMENT FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER SABRI BIN ZAINUDDIN A project report submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the award of the degree of Master of Science in Construction Management FACULTY OF CIVIL ENGINEERING UNIVERSITI TEKNOLOGI MALAYSIA MAY, 2006

4 I declare that this project report entitled THE SUFFICIENCY OF CURRENT TRAINING CURRICULLUM FOR DIFFERENT INDUSTRIES AND ADEQUACY OF THE MINIMUM ACADEMIC REQUIREMENT FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER is the result of my own research except as cited in the references. The report has not been accepted for any degree and is not concurrently submitted in candidature of any other degree. Signature :.. Name : SABRI BIN ZAINUDDIN Date : 17 MAY 2006

5 Specially Dedicated To My Beloved Wife, My Two lovely Kids, Parents and To My Friends

6 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT Praise to Mighty Allah for His Grace and Mercy in helping me throughout this research and to guide me in completing this study in time. I would like to express my thanks to my honorable supervisor, Dr Arham bin Abdullah who has really put his full effort through his academic knowledge, guidance, support and encouragement during the preparation of this study. May Allah bless him for what he has done. I am taking this opportunity also to extend my respect towards his patience and tolerance. I would also like to appreciate the sacrifices, undertsanding, support and encouragement by my wife, Hanita binti Mohd Noor. As for my two kids, Mohammad Shafiq Sabri and Fatin Nabila Sabri, thank you to both of you for your support. Last but not least, I would like to thank to all the lecturers involved, SPS s staff and friends on their support given in the success of completing my Master Programme.

7 ABSTRACT Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994 considers a competent Safety and Health Officer (SHO) to be at least those with a minimum of a pass in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, attended SHO course and passed the SHO examination, and have a minimum of three years working experience in the field of occupational safety and health (OSH). Having such a requirement for competency to help manage OSH program in a diverse, demanding and high risk work environments appears highly inadequate. A study was carried out to address the question of sufficiency of a single SHO curriculum to meet the demand of a diverse and high risk work environment, and the question of adequacy of current academic qualifications to meet the duties of SHO as prescribed by OSHA. This study was based on questionnaires and perceptions of 32 SHOs towards both questions. The statistical parameters that were analysed includes the Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Pearson Correlation and the descriptive tests of frequencies and percentages. Findings from the statistical analysis on the perceptions of the respondents on the two issues above indicated that the single SHO course curriculmn is sufficient to prepare SHO for the different industries, and the minimum qualification of SPM with three years of working expereince in OSH is adequate for the SHO to carry out his or her responsibilities as specified in the SHO Regulations.

8 ABSTRAK Mengikut Akta Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan 1994 (OSHA), seorang Pegawai Keselamatan dan Kesihatan (SHO) yang kompeten ialah seseorang yang sekurang-kurangnya lulus Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia, telah berjaya menamatkan kursus SHO dan lulus peperiksaan SHO tersebut, dan mempunyai sekurangkurangnya tiga tahun pengalaman bekerja dalam bidang keselamatan dan kesihatan pekerjaan (OSH). Bagaimanapun, mempunyai kelayakan tersebut untuk membantu mengurus program OSH di pelbagai tempat kerja, dengan suasana yang amat berbeza, mencabar, dan berisiko tinggi, kelihatan seperti tidak mencukupi. Justru itu satu kajian telah dilakukan untuk mencari jawapan kepada persoalan kecukupan satu kurikulum SHO untuk memenuhi keperluan tempat kerja yang mempunyai suasana yang amat berbeza dan berisiko tinggi, dan juga persoalan kecukupan kelulusan akademik minimum untuk melaksanakan tugas-tugas SHO seperti yang dinyatakan di dalam OSHA. Kajian ini adalah berdasarkan kepada soal-selidik dan pendapat 32 orang pegawai keselamatan dan kesihatan yang kompeten terhadap kedua-dua persoalan tersebut. Statistik yang digunakan untuk menganalisis data adalah Analysis of Variance (ANOVA), Pearson Correlation, dan juga analisis kekerapan dan peratusan. Hasil daripada analisis terhadap persepsi responden kepada kedua-dua persoalan tersebut menunjukkan bahawa satu kurikulum SHO adalah mencukupi untuk melatih pegawai keselamatan dan kesihatan untuk berkhidmat dipelbagai industri, dan kelayakan minimum SPM dan tiga tahun pengalaman kerja didalam bidang keselamatan dan kesihatan pekerjaan adalah mencukupi untuk mereka (SHO) melaksanakan tugas-tugas SHO seperti yang termaktub didalam Peraturan Pegawai Keselamatan dan Kesihatan Pekerjaan.

9 TABLE OF CONTENTS CHAPTER SUBJECT PAGE TITLE PAGE DECLARATION DEDICATION ACKNOWLEDGEMENT ABSTRACT ABSTRAK TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES LIST OF FIGURES i ii iii iv v vi vii x xii CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Overview Problem statement Specific objectives of the study Significance of the study 4 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 Introduction The Need for Safety and Health Officer Appointment of a Competent Safety and Health Officer Safety and Health Officer Training and Examination Competency Based Program NIOSH SHO Course The New SHO Curriculum 11

10 2.3.4 Maintaining Quality and Continuous Improvement of the SHO Curriculum Government Initiatives for the SHO Programs Safety and Health Practitioners in United Kingdom Comparison of Malaysia's SHO Curriculum and UK's Diploma Part I Safety and Health Officers in Other Countries 19 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 Introduction Location Population and Samples Data Gathering Instrument Data Collection Data Analysis 25 CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 Introduction Response rate from Respondents 26

11 4.2 Sociodemographic data Statistical analysis on Part A (Hypothesis I) Statistical analysis on Part B (Hypothesis II) Other Findings in the Study Research limitation 52 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATION 5.1 Conclusion Recommendation 54 REFERENCES 56 APPENDICES APPENDIX A - Frequency tables of questionnaires item 59 APPENDIX B - The New SHO Curriculum 65 APPENDIX C - SHO in Other Countries 68 APPENDIX D - Questionaires 69

12 LIST OF TABLES TABLE NO PAGE 1 A Comparison of NIOSH SHO Syllabus Equivalent Against NEBOSH Diploma (Part I and II) 19 2 Distribution of Respondents by Gender 28 3 Distribution of Respondents by Academic Qualifications 28 4 Distribution of Respondents by Industries 29 5 Distribution of Respondents by Company Size 30 6 Distribution of Respondents by Duration of Service 30 7 Distribution of Training Providers 31 8 One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Test on the Perception of Sufficiency of SHO Course Curriculum for 3 Sectors of Industries 33 9 One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Test on the Perception of Sufficiency of the Four SHO Modules for 3 Sectors of Industries Paired T-Test to Compare the Means of the Sum of Scores of the Sufficiency of the Four SHO Modules, and the Sum of Scores of the Sufficiency of the Overall SHO Program to Address Major SHO Functions One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Test on the Perception of Ability of SHOs of Different Academic Backgrounds to Carry-out SHO Functions One-way ANOVA and Post Hoc Test on the Perception of Ability of SHOs of Different Academic Grouping to Carry-out SHO Functions 49

13 13 Correlation Between Ability to Carry-out SHO Functions and Academic Group Correlations Between the Duration of Services and Ability to Carry-out Functions of SHO Average Level of Sufficiency of SHO Modules for All Industries 59 15A Level of Sufficiency of SHO Modules for Manufacturing Industry 59 15B Level of Sufficiency of SHO Modules for Petrochemical Industry 60 15C Level of Sufficiency of SHO Modules for Construction Industries Frequency Table for items in Part A concerning Insufficiency of SHO Course Curriculum 17 Frequency Table for the second part of Part A Concerning Insufficiency of SHO Program in Addressing Major Functions of SHO 18 Frequency Table for items in Part B Concerning SHO Ability to Carry-out SHO Functions as Specified in the SHO Regulations Frequency Table for items in Part B Concerning SHOs inability to Carry-out SHO Functions 64

14 LIST OF FIGURES FIGURE NO PAGE 1 Bar Chart of the Sum of the SHO Modules Sufficiency Scores 34 2A Bar Chart of the Mean Scores for Module I 37 2B Bar Chart of the Mean Scores for Module II 38 2C Bar Chart of the Mean Scores for Module III 33 2D Bar Chart of the Mean Scores for Module IV 39 3A Percentages of the Level of Sufficiency of the Four SHO Modules to Address Major SHO Functions in Manufacturing Industry 40 3B Percentages of the Level of Sufficiency of the Four SHO Modules to Address Major SHO Functions in Petrochemical Industry 41 3C Percentages of the Level of Sufficiency of the Four SHO Modules to Address Major SHO Functions in Construction Industry 41 4 Bar Chart of the Percentages of the Level of Sufficiency of the Overall SHO Program by Industry Type 5 Bar Chart of the Mean Scores of the Ability of SHO to Carry-out SHO Functions by Academic Qualifications Bar Chart of the Mean Scores of the Ability of SHO to Carry-out SHO Functions by Academic Qualifications 50

15 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 OVERVIEW The Safety and Health Officer Regulations 1997 (P.U.(A)315) and the Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Officer) Order 1997 (P.U.(A)316) came into force on August 22, Under the law, employers of specific industries fulfilling specific requirements detailed in the Order are required to employ a competent Safety Health Officer (SHO). A competent SHO is one who is registered with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). The requirement for the registration as a competent SHO includes possessing qualification and/or experience recognized by the Minister of Human Resources, or one who has passed the SHO examination coordinated by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) with a minimum of three years experience in occupational safety and health. NIOSH developed a curriculum for the SHO course in 1996 and began conducting the SHO courses the following year. The minimum enrollment requirement for the SHO course is a grade 3 in the Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) with two years experience in occupational safety and health. Major revision of the curriculum was made in , and the new curriculum was implemented on April To date, more than 3000 participants has attended NIOSH SHO courses and about 1,300 has passed the SHO examination and registered with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, as competent Safety Officers (Halim 2003).

16 1.2 PROBLEM STATEMENT Industries required to employ SHOs, under the Law, are numerous and diversified in terms of their activities, raw materials, processes, as well as the hazard and risk present. For example, the hazard prevalent in the construction industry is mainly physical hazard such as falling from heights and falling objects, whereas hazard in the chemical industry is mainly chemical hazard such as toxic substances and flammable gaseous. There is only one SHO curriculum for the SHO courses conducted by NIOSH to train candidates to be competent SHOs and to serve the different industries. The issue therefore is whether this single curriculum adequate to prepare SHOs for the different industries with different hazard and risk involved in the respective industries. The current SHO curriculum consists of four modules covering 83 subjects in about 160 hours (20 days). While many of the subjects are relevant to all industries, such as all subjects in Module I covering OSH Management, Safety Policy, First Aids and so on, many other subjects are relevant to certain industries only such as Construction Safety, Petroleum Acts, Chemical Monitoring, etc. One of the important roles of the SHO from the legal perspective is to advice his employer or any person in charge at his work-place on the measures to be taken in the interests of the safety and health of the employees at the work-place (SHO Regulations 1997). The employer or the person in charge at the work place is normally the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, a very senior position indeed. The issue here is whether a competent SHO with only an SPM academic qualification and three years of working experience is able to advice and to report to the CEO all matters pertaining to occupational safety and health at the work place. The work place in this contact could be a chemical plant which may be categorized under the Control of Industrial Major Hazards (CIMAH) Regulations, or it could just

17 be a construction company involved in a building project worth more than twenty million ringgits. Abdul Halim bin Hashim, an ex DOSH officer, in his research Training Needs Assessment of Safety and Health Officers in the State of Selangor (Halim 2003) found that 28.6% of the SHO respondents in his research registered difficulties in carrying out their duties to advice their employers on safety measures at the work place due to their lack of knowledge and experience. Another 35% said that they have difficulties to conduct safety inspection and investigate accidents for the same reason. For the duties of recording and analyzing accidents statistics, 45% said that they have difficulties doing so because of their busy job schedules and difficulties in gathering data. Halim s samples for the above statistics are rather small (about 13 respondents) and confined to a small locality of Shah Alam only. This study, is therefore very relevant to determine whether Malaysia s one SHO for all approach is adequate for the different industries and also to assess whether the current minimum academic requirements for the SHO is adequate to carry out their duties and responsibilities. 1.3 SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY i). To determine whether the current single SHO curricullum is sufficient to prepare Safety and Health Officers for the different industries requiring them. ii). To determine whether the current minimum academic requirement for SHO is adequate for the SHOs to carry out their duties and responsibilities.

18 1.4 SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Industries required to employ Safety and Health Officers are clearly stated in the Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Officer) Regulaions 1997 (P.U.(A)315) and Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Officer) Order 1997 (P.U.(A)316). The hazard and risk in these industries varies greatly depending on the nature of activities, the materials and machineries used and the products or services produced. In fact, the legal requirements for each of these industries varies. Some are categorised under the CIMAH Regulations while others are not, and some are subjected to the Building-by-Laws while others are not. Thus it is very important that the subject on the sufficiency of a single SHO curriculumn to prepare SHO for all of these industries be studied with the aim of improving it.

19 CHAPTER 2 LITERATURE REVIEW 2.1 INTRODUCTION In Malaysia, the latest legislation to protect safety and health of people at the workplace is the Occupational Safety and Health Acts 1994 (OSHA 1994). The Acts was gazetted by the Dewan Rakyat in 1994 with the aim of providing a legislative framework to resolve safety and health problems at the workplace. OSHA 1994, supported by its Regulations, is a comprehensive piece of legislation, with its selfregulating principle and the philosophy that those who create and/or work with the hazards and risks are responsible for controlling and mitigating the hazards and risks. OSHA differ greatly from the previous Act (FMA 1967) with its non prescriptive approach. 2.2 THE NEED FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER One of the Regulations in OSHA is the Safety and Health Officer Regulations 1997, which require companies fulfilling the requirements specified in the supporting

20 Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Officer) Order 1997, to hire safety and health officers dedicated for the promotion of safe and healthy work place. OSHA (1994) stated that the requirement to hire safety and health officer for the high risk industries is for the purpose of ensuring that the provisions of the related laws and regulations are adhered to and for the promotion of a safe conduct of work at the place of work. The principle of self-regulation inbedded in the Act is also supported by the employment of safety and health officer who will assist the manegement in mitigating risk and hazard, promote safe and healthy work place and manage OSH in the organisation (NIOSH 2003). Kamal Halili (2001) reiterated that with the appointment of a safety and health officer, there is a definite person directly responsible for OSH at the work place. 2.2 APPOINTMENT OF A COMPETENT SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER The Safety and Health Officer Regulations 1997 defined a safety and health officer as any person registered with the Director General (of DOSH). The qualification for the registration is described in the Regulations as a person who: a) holds a diploma in OSH or the equivalent thereof from any professional body or institution, approved by the Minister, on the recommendation of the Director General; b) has successfully completed a course of training in OSH and pass any examination for that course or the equivalent thereof, approved by the Minister, on the recommendation of the Director General, and has a minimum of three years experience in OSH; c) has been working in the area of OSH at least for a period of ten years; or d) holds such other qualification or has received such training as prescribed from time to time by the Minister pursuant to subsection

21 29(4) of the Act. Apart from the above qualifications, candidates must be free from conviction of any offence under the Act, or conviction of any offence and sentence to more than a year imprisonment or a fine or more than two thousand ringgit, or free from being declared as a bankrupt. Although there are other qualifications and requirement for the registration of SHO with DOSH, the SHO course and examination seems to be the "prefered" mean to gain the registered SHO status with DOSH. Of about 2000 registered SHOs currently, about 1600 of them get their registrations by taking the SHO courses and examinations. Pursuant to subparagraph (1)(b) on the qualification for the registration of a safety officer above, the Regulations also exclusively mentioned the position of the SHO course conducted by NIOSH as one of "the approved course". In fact, to-date there is no known course other than curiculums based on the NIOSH model has been approved for the purpose. 2.3 SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER TRAINING AND EXAMINATION Competency Based Program Rick Sullivan (1995) in his paper with the title of The Competency-Based Approach to Training, characterised competency based training (CBT) as a training program which is learner- or participant-centered, and the unit of progression is mastery of specific knowledge and skills. This differ from the conventional training

22 approach in many schools where progression through the various subjects is timebased, and at any given time during the year the teacher is expected to be at a specific point in the textbook or course content. While time-based teacher-centered approaches to education have met with varying levels of success over the years, it is an ineffective system when the goal is to train individuals to perform specific, jobrelated skills (Sullivan 1995). A competency refers to an individual's demonstrated knowledge, skills, or abilities performed to a specific standard (JGN Consulting). Competencies are observable, behavioral acts that require a combination of skills to execute. In other words, competencies consist of a combination of knowledge, skills, and abilities that are necessary in order to perform a major task or function in the work setting. In the contact of the SHOs the skills would include risk and hazard identification, assessment, and control methods, safety inspection and accident investigation processes, and adequate knowledge in the OSH legislation and standards. Sullivan (1995) mentioned that Anthony Watson (1990) identified a number of implications for organizations considering implementing a CBT system: Organizations must be committed to providing adequate resources and training materials. Audiovisual materials need to be directly related to the written materials. Training activities need to match the objectives. Continuous participant interaction and feedback must take place. Trainers must be trained to conduct competency-based training courses. Individuals attending training must be prepared for CBT as this approach is likely to be very different from their past educational and training experiences.

23 The five essential steps in developing a competency-based training course detailed by JGN Consulting are: Determine required competencies Specify course/unit learning objectives Identify learning outcomes Design of instructional activities and criteria to assess learning outcomes Develop process whereby trainees can demonstrate mastery of the competencies Thus while evaluation or assessment in traditional courses typically involves administering knowledge-based tests, Foyster (1990) was quoted by Sullivan to argue that assessment in competency-based programs must be criterion-referenced with the criterion being the competencies upon which the program is based, and simulation and work sample performance tests should include a checklist or some type of rating scale. The differences in teaching and assessment techniques of a traditional training program and that of the competency based program are quite clear, as detailed above NIOSH SHO Course NIOSH SHO curriculum which was first developed in 1996 by Worksafe Western Australia for NIOSH, is a competency based program designed to prepare candidates to become competent SHOs. The original SHO curriculum consists of four modules covering about 56 subjects in 105 hours or 15 days. Apart from class room lectures, video shows, and group discussions, a one day visit to a factory (site

24 visit) was also included in the program. The program was focused on specific knowledge, skills, and abilities that are necessary for the SHOs in order to perform their major tasks or functions as specified in the SHO Regulations. In line with the assessment approach of a typical competency based program described above, the SHO examinations involved knowledge based tests as well as simulation or work sample performance tests. The examination consist of three papers: a) Paper I was designed to test the candidates understanding of the management and legislative aspects of OSH. The paper consist of multiple choice questions as well as essay questions based on Module I and II. b) Paper II was designed to test the knowledge and comprehension of candidates in the technical aspects of OSH. The format of Paper II was similar to Paper I but the questions were based on Module III and IV. c) Paper III was designed to test the comprehension of candidates pertaining to the application and practice of OSH at the work place. The paper consist of a work place assignment and an oral examination. The work place assignment assess the ability of candidates to resolved OSH problems at the work place.

25 Although the SHO examinations are coordinated by the Examination Unit of NIOSH, they are policed and strictly monitored by an independent Board of SHO Examinations (BOE) for transparency and credibility. Questions for an examination, were randomly picked from the SHO questions bank by a computer program, and certified and sealed by the BOE. Only after passing all of the papers in the SHO examinations, would a candidate who has at least three years of experinece in OSH, be able to register with DOSH as a competent SHO The New SHO Curriculum The curriculum has since been revised in 2003 by a team of not less than 20 prominent OSH professionals and practitioners from the industries, government departments, higher learning instituitions, and other relavent organizations. The contents has been revised to be "more Malaysianised", that is, scenarios, examples and references are made based on local scenarios. It has also been expended to include the latest OSH regulations and standards, and translated into Bahasa Malaysia. The new SHO curriculum consists of four modules covering 83 subjects in about 160 hours (20 days). Module I covers OSH management subjects including risk identification, assessment and control, OSH programs, auditing and performance

26 monitoring. These subjects provide the fundamental knowledge of OSH for any future OSH practitioners, regardless of the industries that they are in. Module II covers the provisions of the Legislations related to OSH, in particular the OSHA 1994 and the FMA This is a critical module preparing the SHO candidates with the knowledge of the laws with which they must be familiar with in order to be able to advice their employers for compliance. The duty to advice their employers on OSH related matters is specifically addressed in the SHO Regulations (1997). Some of the provisions of the laws are directed to specific activities or industries, and perhaps this is where in "specialised SHO courses" coverage on certain laws would be more details than others. For example, the USECCH Regulations is more relevant for industries using, supplying or manufacturing chemicals, and the Petroleum (Safety Measures) Act 1984 and Gas Supply Act 1993 are relevant for the industries related to the supply and transportation of oil and gas, while the Building Operations and Works of Engineering Construction (BOWEC) of the FMA 1967 is more relevant to the construction industry. Module III of the SHO course, covers subjects in occupational health including occupational diseases, biological monitoring, medical surveillance, toxicology, etc. Again, some of the subjects are more relevant to certain industries than others. For example, the Chemical Health Risk Assessment, Chemical Hazard Management and Chemical Monitoring subjects are more relevant to industries using, supplying and manufacturing chemicals rather than construction industry. The last SHO module or Module IV covers subjects in occupational safety. Among other subjects thought are machinery hazard, safe guarding of machinery, and safe machine operation which are more geared for the manufacturing industry; the construction safety for construction industry, and office safety for the general office

27 environment. Thus, while many of the subjects are relevant to all industries, others are geared for the needs of certain industries only. The new SHO curriculum and examination also have incorporated more elements of a competency based program. There are more interactions between participants and speakers in the form of more group discussions and case studies, and refined course material to focus on the basic competencies required. The examination has also been revised to include new practical skill test on ten skill workstations. The aim is to test candidates understanding of the practical aspects of OSH. The work place assignment has also been refined with more specific requirements in it Maintaining Qualities and Continuous Improvement of the SHO Curriculum The Curriculum Development Unit (CDU) is a special unit established not only to undertake regular curriculum revision and development process on all training courses in NIOSH, but also to strictly monitor and evaluate NIOSH speakers for these courses. Speakers are graded according to the evaluations on their performance by the participants, and also observations by designated personnel in NIOSH. Those who failed to achieve certain standard established by the CDU will be adviced to improve their performance, and subsequently dropped from the list of speakers if they failed to do so. The SHO, being a flagship in NIOSH training program, is given special attention. For example, the first major revision of the SHO curriculum mentioned above involved the participations of some of the best brains in the field of occupational safety and health in the country. Other initiatives implemented by NIOSH to ensure continuous improvement in the quality of the SHO certification program includes removing the Examination Unit from the Training Division in 2003, and establishing it as an independent unit

28 reporting directly to the Executive Director. This reorganisation is important to maintain transparency in the SHO examinations and as well as its credibility. Independent Board of Examination to policise and monitor SHO examinations, and Board of Appeal to handle appeal cases from unsatisfied candidates on their SHO examination results have long been established to ensure impartiality Government Initiatives for the SHO Program Under the SHO Order 1997, specific industries including manufacturing, petrochemical, construction, wood working, metal and cement, which full-filled specific requirements for the industries concerned are required to employ safety and health officer. The current estimate on the number of SHO needed for the industries in the country is in excess of twenty thousand by some estimates. Todate, the number of SHO registered with DOSH is less than two thousands. Thus the number of competent SHO that must be trained and certified is still grossly low and for that reason, a number of training providers has been oppointed by DOSH to assist and complement NIOSH in providing the SHO training. Several government initiatives have been introduced over the years to encourage potential candidates to pursue the SHO certification course. One of them is a special grant from the Economic Develoment Unit of the Prime Minister's Department for unemployed graduates to take up the SHO course with full government funding. The Pembangunan Sumber Manusia Berhad (PSMB), an agency under the Ministry of Human Resources offer a number of grants under the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF), for SHO course including the Skim Bantuan Latihan (SBL), SBL-PKS (for SMI), Perjanjian Latihan Dengan Penyedia Latihan (PERLA) and the Training Scheme for Retrenched Workers. The schemes are targerted for different groups of workers or sectors of industries, and financing of up to 85 percents are possible to the qualified candidates (PSMB 2003). Due to the low number of competent SHOs available in the market, enforcement effort has not been intensified on the requirement for the SHO. However, many companies are not

29 taking chance on the enforcement drive as the authority would not compromise on any company violating the law if an accident occur at their work-places. The demand for the SHO course has been on the upswing lately. 2.4 SAFETY AND HEALTH PRACTITIONERS IN UNITED KINGDOM There are five categories of health and safety personals in the United Kingdom based on their qualifications awarded by the National Examination Board on Occupational Safety and Health (NEBOSH). Courses at the Diploma level are designed to equip health and safety practitioners with an appropriate professional level qualification to undertake responsibilities in relation to the risks of hazards at the work place. The NEBOSH National General Certificate is a qualification designed to help those with health and safety responsibilities (eg. managers, supervisors and employee representatives) to discharge more effectively their organisational duties and functions. The three Diplomas awarded by NEBOSH (2003) are: National Diploma Part 1 The Diploma is intended for health and safety practitioners working either in low risk occupational settings where control strategies are well

30 documented, or as assistants to more highly qualified practitioners. It requires about 170 hours of tuition together with about 90 hours of private study and mandatory workshops. Assessment is by five assignments, one for each of the five modules, and an end examination comprising two written papers. National Diploma Part 2 The program builds on Diploma Part 1 and is intended for health and safety practitioners dealing with a broader range of risks, both in terms of their complexity and magnitude. Holders of Diploma Part 2 may use the designatory letters Dip2.OSH after their name. The program covers health and safety issues in considerably more depth than Part 1 and requires about 190 hours of tuition with about 100 hours of private study. Assessment is by five assignments, one for each of the five modules, and an end examination comprising two written papers. Specialist Diploma in Environmental Management The program is designed to equip health and safety practitioners with an appropriate professional level qualification to undertake responsibilities in relation to the risks of damage to the environment posed by work activities. Holders of the Environmental Diploma may use the designatory letters

31 SpDipEM after their name. The intended learning outcomes are that holders of this award should be able to: advise management on the likely environmental impact of an organisation's activities and the action needed to avoid or minimise the harmful effects; arrange for appropriate action to be taken either by themselves or in cooperation with other specialist staff; appreciate the inter-relationship between actions taken to protect workpeople and those taken to protect the environment so that the best combination of measures is adopted. The duration of directed study for the Environmental Diploma is normally about 150 hours. Assessment is by a written examination and a workplacebased project.

32 The National Certificates awarded by NEBOSH are: National General Certificate The program is designed to help those with health and safety responsibilities (eg. managers, supervisors and employee representatives) to discharge more effectively their organisational duties and functions. It is not a qualification for health and safety specialists, who should seek to obtain a professional qualification such as the NEBOSH National Diploma. The duration of study for the National General Certificate is a minimum of 87 hours plus private study and background reading. The syllabus is divided into sixteen units. Assessment is by an end examination comprising two written papers and a practical assessment. The practical assessment consists of carrying out a health and safety inspection of a workplace and preparing a management report. National Certificate in Construction Safety and Health The Certificate is a qualification both for those with construction management responsibilities and for those who are required to provide routine, day-to-day advice on health, safety and welfare in construction work. The programme of study broadly mirrors that of the National General Certificate, with the additional key issues in construction safety in more technical detail.

33 The duration of study for the Construction Certificate is a minimum of 108 hours plus private study and background reading. Assessment is by an end examination comprising two written papers and a practical assessment consisting of carrying out a health and safety inspection of a construction site, or part of a site, and preparing a management report. 2.5 COMPARISON OF MALAYSIA S SHO CURRICULUM AND UK S DIPLOMA PART 1 Malaysia SHO curriculum consist of 4 modules and 20 days(160 hours) of training (Appendix B). UK's National Diploma Part I consist of 6 modules and 25 days of training (Table 1). Module 1 and 2 in both curriculums are more or less the same, covering OSH management and OSH legislation respectively. Module 3 of the SHO covers occupational health subjects, which is in Module 5 of the UK's Diploma Part I. While Module 4 of the SHO covers occupational safety subject, which is in Module 3 and 4 of the UK's Diploma Part I. It can be seen here the coverage by the UK's Diploma is in more details consisting of 9 days of training compared to 5 days for the SHO. The Diploma also has an additional day for communication and training skill in its syllabus. While Malaysia's SHO curriculum prepare candidates to become OSH practitioners in all industries, its UK's counterpart prepare practitioners for lower risk workplaces only. UK's Diploma Part II is an advance course in OSH equivalent to a basic degree, upon which students may pursue their Master's degree program. The program prepare safety practitoners dealing with a broader range of risks, both in terms of their complexity and magnitude. In general it can be seen that the program for safety personals in the UK is divided into two academic levels of awards and

34 three specialisation areas intended for the different organisational settings and area of expertise. TABLE 1: A Comparison of NIOSH SHO Syllabus Equivalent Against NEBOSH Diploma (Part I and II) Mod NIOSH SHO I II III IV V OSH MANAGEMENT (6 days) OSH LEGISLATIONS (4 days) OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH (5 days) OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY (5 days) NEBOSH DIPLOMA PART I THE MANAGEMENT OF RISK (5 days) LEGAL AND ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS (5 days) THE WORKPLACE - Safety in the workplace (5 days) WORK EQUIPMENT - Electrical & machines safety, manual handling,etc (4 days) AGENTS - Occupational health risk (5 days) NEBOSH DIPLOMA PART II THE MANAGEMENT OF RISK (5 days) LEGAL AND ORGANISATIONAL FACTORS (3 days) THE WORKPLACE (5 days) WORK EQUIPMENT (5 days) AGENTS (8 days) VI Common skills - Communication & Training (1 day) TOTAL DAYS 20 Days 25 Days + 90 hours of private study 26 Days hours of private study 2.6 SAFETY AND HEALTH OFFICER IN OTHER COUNTRIES There are four categories of safety officer in Thailand: Safety Official at the level of basic work, Safety Officer at the level of foreman, Safety Officer at the level of executive and finally Safety Officer at professional level. Their qualifications varies from an employee who has attended training prescribed by the Director General to a degree holder in safety related disciplines from a recognized institution.

35 The different categories of safety officers have different set of responsibilities and are meant for different organizations (ILO 2001). Philippine also recognized several categories of safety personnel such as parttime and full-time safety officers, practitioners in OSH, and consultants in OSH. Each of these categories are of different academic and training backgrounds, and are meant for different categories of organizations and hazard (ChanRobles 2001). In the Manitoba State of Canada (2001), there are four levels of safety officers: Safety and Health Officer 1 - this is the most basic level where employees are trained on the job in addition to formal in-house training, and the scope of work include assisting in inspections of workplaces, investigations of accidents or injuries that occur in the workplace, establishment of workplace safety and health committees, and in preparation of various reports, documents and forms. Safety and Health Officer 2 - this is the full working level of the series. Under general supervision, they are involved in regulatory and control work of workplaces under the jurisdiction of the legislation. In addition to inspecting and investigating to ensure compliance with the regulations, there is a requirement to participate in the delivery of educational programs and to carry out prescribed industrial hygiene surveys, as well as to assist in the training and development of staff. Safety and Health Officer 3 - This level, in addition to the responsibilities of a Safety and Health Officer 2, has responsibility for the operation of a regional office which may include the requirement to supervise subordinate staff. Safety and Health Officer 4 - This is the full supervisory level of the series. Under the general direction of the Head of Inspection Services, employees have supervisory responsibility for the delivery of regulatory and control programs relating to the legislation specified in the series preamble. Program supervision, staff allocation and supervision, and budget management are involved at this level.

36 Officer: The State of Minnesota (2004) in the United States has two level of Safety Safety and Health Officer 1 - the scope of works include planning, directing and promoting of an occupational, safety and health program, and they are directly accountable for all aspects of the internal occupational, safety and health programs of a moderate size organization including inspection, compliance, reporting, and education, or assists in directing a regional program of a larger organization. Safety and Health Officer 2 - the scope of works include planning, directing and promoting fire and occupational safety and health programs in a large organization, and directly accountable for all aspects of the internal fire and occupational safety and health programs of a large organization including inspection compliance reporting and education. They also ensure conformance with standards and codes set forth by the federal and state governments. From the different set-ups in foreign countries described above, it can be seen that there are many potential settings and organizations for safety and health officers, each with specific objectives and emphasis. The study is therefore aimed at discovering the perceptions of our own safety officers insight of their own jobs and what it should entails.

37 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 3.1 INTRODUCTION The study performed was a descriptive and cross-sectional study which systematically examine the current status of the industrial phenomena that is being studied. 3.2 LOCATION 3.3 The study was conducted in areas of concentration of the industries concerned throughout Malaysia including: - Construction Site in the Klang Valley - Rantau Petronas, Kerteh in Trengganu - Gebeng Industrial Zones in Pahang - Kulim High Tech Park, Kedah

38 3.4 POPULATION AND SAMPLES The population sampled were from three different industries requiring SHOs under the legislation. They are: a) Construction, with contracts exceeding RM20 Million b) Petro-chemicals, with more than 100 workers c) and Manufacturing, with more than 500 workers The nature of work activities, hazards and risks in the three industries selected for the study are different and demand different levels of competencies from their SHO. The respondents sampled are SHOs who have attended the SHO course with NIOSH or other training providers, and who have passed the SHO examinations. The Examination database in NIOSH provides information about the respondents who meet the above criteria, their addresses and other pertinant information.

39 3.4 DATA GATHERING INSTRUMENT The data gathering instrument used was the survey questionnaire method. A total of 40 questions were presented in three parts: the first seven questions were on the respondents personal information, and the rest of the questionnaires were basically divided into two parts, A and B, to address the two issues addressed in the study. The questions in PART A (16 questions), centered on the perceptions of the respondents on two angles of the SHO course (Appendix D): i) the sufficiency of each of the four SHO modules to prepare them to be safety and health officers (4 questions). ii) the sufficiency of the knowledge gained from the SHO course to carry-out major functions of the SHO, that is, assisting employer in implementing occupational safety and health measures at the work place, safety inspection, accident investigation, and monitoring, recording and analysing occurrence of accidents and near misses at the work place (4 questions). If the perceptions of the respondents on the four questions on the sufficiency of the SHO modules is negative (insufficient), then supplementary questions are provided on factors that may contribute to the situations.

40 PART B of the questionnaires (17 questions) focused on the perceptions of the respondents on their own capabilities to carry out their duties and responsibilities as safety and health officers at their respective place of work. The questions were based on the nine functions of safety and health officer specified in the Safety and Health Officer Regulations DATA COLLECTION Of the 75 questionannaires mailed and distributed to safety officers who have attended SHO courses and passed their SHO examinations, only 66 responded to the survey. Fourty four samples were received from the manufacturing industry, and twelves samples each from the petrochemical and the construction industries. 3.6 DATA ANALYSIS The data analysis tool used in the srudy is the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) ver 11. The statistical parameters that were analysed includes the descriptive tests of frequencies and percentages on the respective variables of the survey, which were subjected to further tests such as the analysis of variance (ANOVA) and correlation tests.

41 Questions in PART A, on the sufficiency of the SHO modules to address the SHO functions, were given the following scores: Answer Scores More than sufficient 3 Sufficient 2 Barely sufficient 1 Not sufficient 0 While questions in PART B, on the capability of the SHO to carry-out the SHO functions, were given the following scores: Answer Scores Yes 2 Some 1 No 0 The "yes" answer indicated that they are fully capable of doing the specified function, "some" indicated that they are partially able to do it, while "no" means that they are not capable of doing it. Thus, for the ten questions in PART B, the maximum score is 20.

42 CHAPTER 4 RESEARCH FINDINGS AND DISCUSSION 4.1 INTRODUCTION The safety and health officer training program started when The Safety and Health Officer Regulations 1997 and the Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Officer) Order 1997 came into force on August 22, To date, more than 3000 participants have attended NIOSH SHO courses and about 1,300 have passed the SHO examination and registered with the Department of Occupational Safety and Health, as competent Safety Officers. As NIOSH is the secretariat for the SHO examination, a database of the candidates who have taken the SHO examinations since the database was created in 2001 is maintained by NIOSH. The database is a major source of data for the study. 4.2 RESPONSE RATE FROM RESPONDENTS Although there are currently about six hundred records of candidates who have sat for the SHO examinations in the database, many of them do not qualify for the study because the candidates either failed the SHO examination, or they are not from the manufacturing, petrochemical or construction industries, which are the subjects of the study. The other major problem is many of their addresses in the

43 database are no longer valid. Followup phone calls indicated that many addresses, in particular for SHO working in the construction industry, were obsolete. Some of the SHO have also resigned, may be opting for a better paid SHO position elsewhere. This is especially true for those who work in the construction industry. They are very mobile, and move on to new projects at new sites when existing projects are completed after a period of one to two years. Thus only 12 samples (18%) of the respondents were from the construction industry. As for the petrochemical industry, it was found that many of the respondents consider themselves working in a manufacturing industry as the companies are "manufacturing" chemicals. Like the construction industry, the number of questionnaires received from petrochemical industry is also 12 samples. A total of about 75 questionnaires were sent by mail to addresses obtained from the SHO database in NIOSH. More questionnaires were send in a bid to obtain more samples and finally a total of 66 samples were obtained. The total number of samples valid for the study is 66, consisting of 65 males respondents and 1 female. 4.3 SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC DATA Gender Table 2 below shows the distribution of respondents by gender. From the total 66 respondents, 65 were male and only 1 female. The male dominance in this job is quite clear.