Occupational Safety and Health Report: Sungai Kim Kim Chemical Waste

This report delves into the critical field of Occupational Safety and Health (OSH), examining a specific case study involving a chemical waste dump in Sungai Kim Kim, Malaysia. The report is divided into two main sections: the first section presents an analysis of opinions on the issues, potential causes and effects of the chemical waste dump, and an evaluation of precaution steps taken by owners and workers to prevent chemical hazards. The second section focuses on an interview with an HR Manager, and concludes with recommendations to enhance safety and health standards within organizations. The report highlights the importance of effective waste management, the impact of chemical hazards on public health, and the need for government and community intervention to mitigate risks and improve OSH practices, emphasizing the need for effective actions to improve the situation prevailing near Sungai Kim Kim.

OCCUPATIONAL
SAFETY AND
HEALTH

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION...........................................................................................................................1
QUESTION 1...................................................................................................................................1
Opinions on the highlighted issues.........................................................................................1
Possible causes and effects of chemical waste dump in Sungai Kim Kim, Pasir Gudang.....2
Evaluation of precaution steps that owners and workers take to prevent chemical hazard. . .4
QUESTION 2...................................................................................................................................6
Conduction of interview with HR Manager...........................................................................6
Preparation and Submission of a Report................................................................................8
CONCLUSION..............................................................................................................................15
REFERENCES..............................................................................................................................17

INTRODUCTION
Occupational Safety and Health is an effective multidisciplinary field which is associated
with effective safety, welfare and health of individuals who are present at work as well as those
who are being or likely to be affected through working of the company. It is quite important for
an organisation to adhere to safety of personnel associated with their working and it is important
for the company to take appropriate actions which must promote as well as safeguard their health
and safety to ensure an appropriate and essential functioning along with long term sustainability
(Friend and Kohn, 2018). In addition to this, it takes into consideration all the potential hazards
which could be quite risky for people working within their organisation inclusive of effective
measures of how best to minimise the same. The report below is based on occupational safety
and health in different scenarios. It is divided into two sections, where the first addresses a
detailed examination of causes and effects of accidents at the workplace and precaution steps
which are required to be taken by owners and workers to prevent any sort of medical hazard
from happening. Further, the second part of the report is associated with evaluation of safety and
health practices within an organisation and recommendations to the company to enhance safety
and health standards within their organisations.
QUESTION 1
Opinions on the highlighted issues
Pollution is one of the biggest problems which is prevailing within each country,
especially in industrial areas, where there are ineffective waste management systems
incorporated within the factories (Donham and Thelin, 2016). According to the case study, the
Department of Environment within Malaysia is facing quite a few challenges related to the health
of individuals due to chemical waste dump in Sungai Kim Kim. As per the case, the area s
experiencing quite a downfall in terms of health of individuals living in the country. The reason
for the same is that there has been a chemical dump which is hazardous to people living near the
lake. In my opinion, such chemical hazards and mishaps, which could lead to such widespread
illness must be controlled by local communities. Dumping waste in such a prominent place
indicates that local communities were not aware, neither monitoring the safety standards in the
area until before the situation went out of hand and people fell sick. Such mismanagement lead
to the hazard which had quite a negative impact on health of individuals who are residing near
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that area. According to me, these communities are required to modify their operations in ways
which assist and guide them in conducting their duties in a better and more prominent manner.
As per the case, there are almost 30 factories which might be responsible for the waste
which was dumped within Sungai Kim Kim. Moreover, the waste which was dumped was quite
hazardous, as well as large in quantity. According to me, these aspects reflect that these factories
does not emphasise on waste management and there are quite limited or obsolete equipment and
processes which are associated with managing and handle these waste, which causes the waste to
be dumped in areas like Sungai Kim Kim. Furthermore, my opinion would stand corrected on the
fact that there is a dire need for government and local communities to intervene. Furthermore, it
is a vital and urgent need for these entities to provide these factories with waste management
equipment and processes and monitor them regularly (Cunningham and Sinclair, 2015).
According to my perception, there are several loop holes which are associated with this
case and which led to such harmful consequences. Such cases lead to further depletion in natural
resources and are being a risk to all the associated individuals which reside in the areas. In
addition to this, in case this situation is not immediately tackled, then there will be further
consequences which would be leading the whole area to be contaminated and more health issues
to the living beings in that locality. It is a case of ineffective occupational safety and health and
in my opinion, effective actions must be taken regarding improving the situation which is
prevailing near Sungai Kim Kim (Frumkin, 2016).
Possible causes and effects of chemical waste dump in Sungai Kim Kim, Pasir Gudang
It is very important to analyse cause and effect which is associated with rise in chemical
fumes in Sungai Kim Kim, which was responsible for illness and breathing problems for the
people living near Pasir Gudang. Carving out the cause and effect would help in determining all
the potential operations which could be dangerous to attempt and which could lead to facilitation
of harmful conditions within the whole area.
Possible Causes of Chemical Waste Dump in Sungai Kim Kim:
 Ineffective Inspection:
One of the biggest causes of chemical waste dump within Sungai Kim Kim is that
possibly there are no appropriate authority, which could have overseen the whole operation. In
addition to this, with absence of such a committee, it is highly possible, that factories associated
nearby dumped their industrial waste. Moreover, according to the case study, the industrial waste
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which was found in Sungai Kim Kim, were of dislodging activity. This makes it highly possible
for these industries to have dumped the waste while performing these activities. Furthermore, in
case there would have been an authority above them, factories would have effectively hesitated
while dumping their wastes collectively in the river. Furthermore, without any sort of health and
safety inspection within that area, it is possible that absence of the same has been a prominent
reason for the chemical waste dump at Sungai Kim Kim.
 Inappropriate Waste Management Systems:
Another possible cause which might enhance the likelihood of these wastes to be dumped
within the river is that it is highly possible that factories situated within the area does not have
appropriate processes and procedures of waste management. The reason for this is that with
industrial firms, they might get reluctant while adopting new technologies and providing
necessary training to the employees related to the same. However, in some cases, the firm does
not have enough requisite to buy new technologies related to the same. However, in both the
cases, it is highly likely for these organisations to drop their chemical waste outside of the
organisation. In addition to this, it is also possible that they do not effectively monitor and
measure the waste which is secreted by their industrial operations. With Artificial Intelligence
and Automation technologies, industrial organisations conduct several testing and evaluation
procedures which are directed towards reducing the waste and monitoring the standards.
However, there might be chances that there is a heavy inclination of these industrial
organisations on traditional technologies, which might be limited in monitoring the waste.
Possible Effects of Chemical Waste Dump Sungai Kim Kim:
 Rise in Health Issues:
The very first and most severe effect of dumping of chemical waste in Sungai Kim Kim,
is that there has been immense rise in health issues within people, related to severe breathing
problems and several infections which were associated with the fumes rising from river after the
chemical waste dump. The reason for the same is because, the chemicals present within the river
had several harmful matter associated with it. For instance, chemicals had methane, which causes
reduction in oxygen levels within the body after exposure, which can even lead to severe organ
damage, including heart and brain (Pasir Gudang chemical spill: 6 things you need to know,
2019).
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Another chemical which was present in the chemicals was Benzene. Exposure to this
harmful element causes severe cell dysfunctionality. In addition to this, it alters blood levels of
anti-bodies, which further results in reduction in White Blood Cells within the body. Thus, there
were so many harmful chemicals present within the waste dumped at Sungai Kim Kim, which
caused several physical problems to individuals living nearby, leading to 79 cases of people
affected in such a short notice.
 Pollution:
Another effect of the chemical waste dump is rise in pollution standards within the river,
as well as within the environment around the same. Several toxic chemicals getting mixed with
water enhanced the level of harmful toxicants in the air, water and soil, which caused enough
pollution to degrade the overall environment. In addition to this, the chemicals also contaminated
the overall area on which it was dumped, which also had a negative impact on the flora and
fauna of that area.
 Legal Actions:
Further, the effect of this dumping on Sungai Kim Kim led to lodging of several police
reports according to the case study. This implies that necessary legal actions will be taken against
those factories which have led to facilitation of waste materials in the open going against the
legal and environmental standards (Haslam and et. al., 2016).
Evaluation of precaution steps that owners and workers take to prevent chemical hazard
It is a very crucial practice in Occupational Safety and Health to ensure that proper
standards are maintained and proper attention is being given to the well being of employees and
other individuals. Furthermore, each organisation, especially the ones indulged in industrial
activities must adopt several procedures and processes through which they could enhance the
effectiveness and safety of individuals associated within the company and effectively avoid any
sort of chemical hazards.
Pasir Gudang is an area which is full of industrial areas and there are several chemical
factories situated in the region which effectively carries out their industrial activities effectively.
One such estate within the region is Harvest Green Industrial Park. It is quite effective in terms
of appropriately managing the waste within their factories, however, their industrial standards are
yet not effective enough as per the industrial standards. In addition to this, owners of the
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factories along with workers’ pay little attention towards the processes and procedures adopted
to avoid chemical hazard (Sousa, Almeida and Dias, 2015).
However, both these entities could take appropriate steps within their factories which
would help them safeguard the people within the organisation from any chemical hazards.
Following are certain steps which could be followed by factories in this area:
 Safety Measures:
The very crucial step in this regard is having effective safety measures. This is while
building the whole infrastructure of the factory. In addition, this step is inclusive in each factory
outlet within the Industrial Park which would ensure better safety standards. For this, industrial
organisations within the park include and consider all the industrial guidelines which are being
developed by the government. Adherence to the same helps in achieving appropriate safety
standards. Moreover, different processes and safety gears are also present within easy access to
each individual within the organisation that would help them safeguard themselves in relation to
any chemical mishap.
 Standard Operating Procedure:
Within this step, firms effectively enhance their safety and health standards through
implement a Standard Operating Procedure. Each chemical which is in use of the factory have
different handling procedures and distinct characteristics, which requires proper and special
attention be given to them. For this, the firm implements general SOPs, which help them
following a safe protocol, safe measures, safe equipments, safe use, etc. which assist them in
preventing any chemical hazards (Flynn, Eggerth and Jacobson, 2015).
 Effective Training:
Another effective precaution which is effectively taken by the workers and owners within
the industrial park is that the owner must emphasise on training all its staff members, including
workers and their supervisors with respect to the overall health hazards which might be faced by
them and the best methods through which it could be well avoided by them. By training, it must
also be necessary for them to educate their employees within the company with respect to the
hazardous processes, chemicals and equipment, which could cause them harm and put all their
safety into jeopardy. Exposure of these workers to chemicals which is used on oil or gas drilling
as well as fracking sites is dependent upon substance which they handle. If hazardous materials
are used, it might cause chemical burns when applied by workers and through inhalation of toxic
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gases, the workforce might develop certain respiratory illnesses which could be fatal for their
health and safety. Some of such gases, which the owner must educate their workers within the
industrial park about, include hydrogen sulphide. Such gas is quite usual to be faced by factory
workers, however, such gases are quite difficult to be detected. Thus, this enhances their toxicity
and risks associated with such harmful chemicals. This requires an immediate training and
education which is provided to the factory workers with respect to such harmful gases, their
detection methods, ways to utilise such gases and safety measures which are taken by the
workers to promote their safety effectively.
QUESTION 2
Conduction of interview with HR Manager
Following is the interview with HR Manager of Petronas, highlighting their health and
safety procedures, programmes associated with occupational health and safety as well as
challenges which are faced while implementing and managing the same. The interview is
mentioned below:
INTERVIEW
1. Are you aware about the health and safety regulations within the country?
Yes, I am fully aware about the health and safety regulations of the country as there were
several legislative acts which were revised and implemented by me while my time within the
company. Moreover, all the safety regulations within the organisation are in alignment with the
Employees' Social Security Act, 1969, which emphasise on inclusion of all the procedures
within the organisation which promotes their safety and good health.
2. Is there a strict adherence of these regulations within your company?
Absolutely. There are supervisors on every worker teams which monitor their work and ensure
that each safety regulation within the organisational structure are rightfully addressed and
adhered to.
3. What is the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of the organisation?
In order to control the hazards and to reduce toxicological pollution, the SOP of the
organisation is associated with effective preparedness of the overall organisation during times
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of hazards and pollution. To attain this, proactive steps are being taken which includes
adherence to safety standards right from employing an individual or equipment. Moreover,
regular safety audits also help us in enhancing the health and safety of employees.
4. What immediate actions could be taken in case of a fatality or a serious accident?
During training phase, each employee is taught how to best act within such situations. All the
procedures which are adopted within such cases must be familiarised by employees ahead of
time. Furthermore, immediate response must be suggested and implemented by the
organisation's heads of departments, who would undertake actions like immediate actions and
initiating fire and rescue operations by contacting nearest public service companies.
5. What actions are taken in case a worker indulges in safety violation?
It all depends upon how severe the consequences could be of not following the safety standards.
For instance, procedures such as not wearing safety masks which could lead to minor lung
infections, might be treated as giving a fair warning. Moreover, after that process, the safety
inspection would also increase. However, in case their actions could result in a major hazard,
then all the immediate corrective guidelines would be implemented, followed by their
immediate suspension.
6. What are the Organisational Safety and Health (OSH) Programmes within the
organisation?
There are several essential programmes associated with OSH in our organisation. For instance,
there are programmes like “Strive for ZerO”, which is associated with ensuring safety and well
being of employees as well as communities. The agenda of this programme is to contribute
towards health and reduce the chances there are several accidents. Moreover, there are certain
benefits to all associated stakeholders such as environmental protection, governmental support
as well as safety of employees.
7. What is the Biggest Challenges associated with OSH?
The biggest challenge which is faced throughout safety and health within the organisation is the
education and training of workers. This is because, not every worker comes from a background
where safety is treated as a priority. Moreover, another challenges are related to leadership
mindsets, risk assessment methods, equipment, communication, employee engagement and so
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forth.
Preparation and Submission of a Report
Introduction
This organisation is one of the most effective and leading chemical producers which is
situated and operating effectively within Malaysia. The company functions under chemical
industry and is an effective organisation working towards producing top quality chemicals for its
customers (Yazdani and et. al., 2015). The total capacity of the organisation is around 13 million
metric tonnes per annum. Moreover, the firm is associated in manufacturing, marketing as well
as selling a quite effective and diverse range of chemical products. Some of these products
include, polymers, olefin, fertilisers and methanol.
The vision of this organisation is to effectively become the most preferred chemical
organisation in Malaysia and provide innovative customer solutions to its customers within the
country and beyond. In addition to this, the mission of the organisation is to produce top quality
chemical products which could withstand the competitive forces and provide maximum utility to
customers through using effective and latest technological equipment and processes and by
hiring appropriate individuals which could contribute to the company's sustainable growth.
With almost 25 operating organisations, the firm has more than 600 employees which
work towards making the organisation one of the most prestigious chemical company within
Malaysia. There are different types of employees which operate effectively within the
organisation under various departments. For instance, there are employees for production and
manufacturing unit, marketing, sales, finance, engineering and R&D departments too. All these
employees are trained as per their job roles and the HR Manager is required to maintain their
engagement and commitment towards the company.
The interview above was conducted with this HR Manager of the firm who is Mr. Danish
Megat. He is with the firm for five years and handle all the operations under the Human
Resource department (Sinelnikov, Inouye and Kerper, 2015). Furthermore, he is responsible to
analyse the training and development needs of individuals as well as provide them with the best
procedures within the country to enhance their competence and skills, so that they could operate
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at their highest potential. Moreover, he is also responsible for inspecting and monitoring that all
the safety and well being requirements are met within the firm and its processes.
The organisational chart of the company is mentioned below:
Illustration 1: Organisational Structure
Report on Outcomes of the Interview
 Standard Operating Procedure on Organisational Safety and Health, Objectives and
Functions
Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) refer to the written and stepwise instructions which
is intended to outline a description of how an activity is performed within an organisation. It is
one of the most important and crucial activities within a company as it allows them to plan their
activities, be consistent and perform effectively each day (Shea and et. al., 2016).
As for XYZ organisation, their Standard Operating Procedures for Organisational Safety
and Health is discussed below:
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Introduction
The procedures below are for Organisational Safety and Health within XYZ
Organisation. It covers all the necessary steps which the company follows in relation to ensure
that safety and health of employees as well as the community is promoted by the operations
within the company.
Purpose
The purpose of these procedures is to avoid any sort of chemical hazard or pollution from
the activities of the company that could put safety and health of stakeholders of the company
within jeopardy.
Objectives
The objectives of the organisation in relation to safety is to create as well as sustain a
health as well as a safe culture through adopting methods and processes that could enhance the
effectiveness of the organisation in terms of performance, safety and health.
Scope
These procedures are mainly adopted within the production and manufacturing
department as it is where any chemical hazard is likely to occur.
Procedures
Certain procedures or functions, with respect to the Occupational Safety and Health,
which are followed by XYZ Organisation are mentioned below:
▪ Preparedness of the overall organisation
The first and most effective procedure which is adopted within the organisation is
preparedness of the whole organisation (Seo and et. al., 2015). This means, all the members
within the company, belonging to any position within the hierarchy and within any department
are provided with basic and necessary training of how the operations are handled if they are
working within a chemical organisation. Moreover, safety modules are provided to each and
every employee within the company which enhances their familiarity with the chemicals which
are used within the production processes and all the hazardous elements related with the same.
The objective of the same is to enhance activeness within workers in response to hazard.
Moreover, the function covers effective training provided to them regarding the same.
▪ Proactive steps
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