Malaysia. The 16th Conference on Occupational, Safety and Health 2013 (COSH) could not have chosen a more appropriate venue than the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (the Centre) given this is an area which the Centre takes very seriously, as demonstrated by the safety and emergency briefing prior to the start of the COSH opening ceremony officiated by YB Datuk Richard Riot Anak Jaem, Minister of Human Resources Malaysia.
“Right from the beginning, when the Centre was still at the planning stage, occupational, safety and health or OSH, was identified as an important component of her Standard Operating Procedures (SOP),” shared Puan Haryati bt Md Haidar, Management System Manager. “This led to the development and eventual implementation of our own Food Safety, Quality, Environment, Safety & Health (FOQESH) Management System by the time we opened for business in June 2005.”
Haryati explained that ensuring the safety of visitors is the main priority of any world-class operation’s SOP. “For this reason, staff awareness and training is crucial. Awareness briefings at every employee orientation is standard practice, as are regular departmental training and briefing sessions to keep team members updated and familiar with safety procedures such as guiding the public to safety in an emergency. A safety briefing video also ensures continuity and consistency in our messaging.”
In addition to OSH, Haryati’s team has a dedicated Safety, Health and Environment Management and Food Safety Management representative to oversee adherence to the Centre’s ISO 9001 (Quality Management System), 22000 (Food Safety Management System), 14001 (Environment Management System), OHSAS 18001 (Occupational Health and Safety Management System) and EarthCheck Bronze (sustainability certification system) accreditations.
