Table of Contents

1.0 The Purpose of the report.....................................................................................................3

2.0 Issues on the safety standards of Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd..................................................5

3.0 Measures to improve the safety standards of Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd...............................7

4.0 Conclusion..........................................................................................................................10

Bibliography..................................................................................................................................12

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To: Ali Mashooud, Director, Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd

From: Occupational Health Manager, Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd

Date: 18th November 2012

Subject: Factors that lead to workplace accidents and preventions at Ali Bagus Toys Sdn
Bhd

1.0 The Purpose of the report

Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd has been manufacturing toys for more than 20 years. We have made
many children from all over the world happy and that has been the strength that made the
company strives with its effort in producing the best children’s toys. but for the past two months,
the number of accidents in the company has increased unexpectedly thus an action needs to be
taken in order to control the increased number of accidents as it does not just affect the
company’s profit and image but also the workers’ safety.

As accidents could lead to great damage to the company and its workers, the purpose of this
paper is to identify the factors that lead to most of the accident cases in the company and also the
measures to be considered to improve the safety standards of the company. Due to this,
observations and analyses were carried out to identify the causes of accidents especially at
accident prone areas such as the Material and Handling department and the loading area.

The methods that were used during observation were interviews, questionnaires, inspection and
surveillance. Interviews were done to identify issues and problems faced by workers especially
in the area of safety while questionnaires were used to gather the statistical data that helps the
analysis process. Other than that, inspection was also done to identify the equipment that could
lead to accidents and surveillance method was used to observe the workers’ attitude while
working.

During the interview session, ten workers were selected from all the departments in the
company. From the interviews, many of the workers felt that the working condition in the
company is not safe. Due to this many of them were not satisfied with the working condition
although most of their needs are fulfilled by the management. This is in line with the theory of

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motivation that was introduced by Abraham Maslow in 1943. According to the theory, safety is
needed to motivate workers and increase job satisfaction thus the interviews done were manage
to help us identify the causes that led to our workers’ dissatisfaction and job stress.

The questionnaires that were distributed to all the workers had gone through some stages of
revision in order to maintain the validity and reliability of the items tested. Samples of the
questionnaires were sent to the National Institute of Occupational Safety & Health Malaysia
(NIOSH) to be validated so that the items tested are aligned with the objectives of the study. Due
to that, the findings from the questionnaires are assured to be valid and reliable thus a replication
of such method could be used in the future.

Inspection on the equipment was done by the department of Quality Assurance in order to assure
the condition to be safe for the workers. Professionals in the area were used as consultants so that
the equipment tested could go through the correct procedures and analyses. By doing so, we
were be able to identify the equipment that were not suitable for work due to faulty and age.

The final procedure in the observation was surveillance on the workers’ attitude while working.
Managers from each department were selected to write reports on the attitude of the workers
while working and tapes from surveillance cameras were analyzed to study the working trend in
each department. This procedure helps in identifying attitude problems that are shown by the
workers that could lead to accidents.

In conclusion, the methods and procedures that were employed in this study had gone through
some stages of revision and validation in order to maintain the validity and reliability of the
study. By doing so, we were able to align the objectives of the study with the objectives of the
safety policy that will be implemented in our company.

2.0 Issues on the safety standards of Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd

In October 2011, the number of accident cases that involve the company’s workers has doubled
from 5 to 10 cases. That is the biggest different in accident cases since 2008 but the number has
been increasing since 2010. Due to this, an observation has been made especially in the Material

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and Handling department where most accident cases happen. From the visit, I discovered many
issues on the safety regulations among the workers in the Material and Handling department.

The first issue is on the protective equipment provided for the workers. From the observation
made on the operators in the Material and Handling department, most of them were not well
equipped for the task that was given to them. Due to this, most of them were open to accidents.

The next issue is on the way the operators handling their job. From the observation made, many
of them didn’t give their full attention towards the safety of their job and workstation. Some of
the operators were listening to their personal mp3 players while doing their work and this cause
them to be careless in handling their job thus making their position more risky. At the same time,
the products prepared by them also had a lot of defects as they are not focusing on their job.
Other than that, some of the operators also engage themselves in discussion while doing their
job. This activity does not only make them lose their attention but also others as they create
disturbance towards others.

The third issue I discovered during observation was on the cleanliness of the department. From
the observation, I could see that most of the workstations were not maintained properly thus
many of them were left with discarded materials from the products like wires, cloth and many
more. The most extreme case that I found out during the observation was a pool of water under
one of the operators’ workstation. From the interview made with the operator, it was understood
that the water came from a leakage in the wall. Although the operator had filed a complaint on
the problem, nothing has been done. Due to this issue, many accidents involving slipping and
tripping could happen thus making the department as a dangerous area.

The fourth issue that was discovered during the observation was on the handling of fork lift
trucks. From the observation made, I discovered that some of the fork lift trucks were handled
dangerously around the factory’s area. This is another factor that has led to many accidents
around the factory. Even in the past two weeks, three accident cases involving the fork lift trucks
have been reported. Due to the accidents, we had to send two personnel to hospitals due to
injuries and bear big loss as most of the goods were seriously damaged.

An analysis has been made on the accident trend in the factory and from the findings, it could be
understood that the number of accident cases in 2010 is 23 but when we entered 2011, the

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number started to increase. Although there was only one case in January, the number
skyrocketed to four cases in February and since then the trend just maintained in the four and
five region but in October, the number of cases increased again to ten cases. This shows the
seriousness of the accident issues in our factory as they don’t just danger our workers but also
increase our loss.

3.0 Measures to improve the safety standards of Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, safety need is situated on the second level of the
hierarchy. According to this theory, worker’s needs in the first and second level should be
fulfilled before it could continue to the higher level. This is also supported by Herzberg’s Two-
Factor Theory of Motivation that states physical working conditions have to be provided in safe
and clean manner in order to avoid dissatisfaction. Another famous theory that supports this is
the ERG Theory of Motivation that stresses being in a safe state condition as one of the needs of
worker’s motivation. This tells us that safety is an important factor that could affect worker’s
motivation. Due to this, some measures have to be taken in order to improve the safety standards
of the company.

The first measure that can be taken is on the equipment provided for the workers. In order to
improve the safety standard of the workers, new and improved equipment should be provided. At
the same time, old and faulty equipment should be discarded so that they don’t have to be used
by the workers anymore. By doing this, it could assure a safer working condition of the workers.
One good example is on the goggles used by the workers in the Material and Handling
department. By discarding faulty goggles and replacing them with new goggles, workers would
have a clearer sight while working. This will be a big help in decreasing the number of accidents
that caused by limitation in sight among the workers due to blurry goggles. Although replacing
equipment may affect the company’s production cost, it will outrun the cost of losses bear by the
company due to accidents caused by faulty equipment.

The next measure that needs to be taken is on the workers’ attitude. In order to control the
workers’ attitude while completing their task, some consideration should be given on providing
them with professional training especially those that are related to safety procedures and

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awareness. With the information gathered from NIOSH, I have listed down some training
modules that are beneficial to us. Some of the training modules are Train the Trainer,
Ergonomics in the workplace – Standards, Regulations and Best Practices, Basic Occupational
First Aid and Safe Handling of Fork lift Trucks. As education is the most important aspect in
preparing our workers with the awareness and knowledge of safe handling, we should provide
them with at least one professional training course annually. An induction should also be given
to new workers as they are still incapable of handling some of the task given due to the lack of
experience thus by preparing them with some knowledge can help them to avoid accidents. Other
than that, we should also provide them with trainers among them so that we can engage in
mentor programs that could help new workers with new knowledge especially in safe handling
and emergency. By giving some extra benefits to the mentors in the programs will boost their
motivation to facilitate and guide their mentees so that accident could be avoided.

Preparation of the workers with knowledge and skills in safe handling might not be enough if
they have to work in a dirty environment thus an extra attention needs to be given to the
cleanliness of their workstations. The first action that needs to be taken in order to maintain the
cleanliness of our workers’ workstations is by keeping up with the maintenance especially on
cleanliness. As stated earlier, complaints from fellow workers regarding cleanliness and hygiene
should be given priority as cleanliness does not only promise better working condition but also
safe environment. Cleanliness contest can also be organized so that workstations that meet the
required standard could be acknowledged by the company. This at the same time will boost the
workers’ motivation to maintain the cleanliness of their workstations. I stand with this opinion as
I discovered that the cost of giving some incentives is cheaper if compared to getting more
workers to maintain the cleanliness of the company.

The fourth measure that can be taken to avoid accidents is by giving proper training to those who
handle the fork lift trucks. At the same time, we must always make sure that the workers who are
handling fork lift trucks are well trained and certified. Other than that, we should also allocate
the area for fork lift trucks so that they don’t wander everywhere in the factory. By doing this we
will also be able to minimize accidents as most workers will know the area where the fork lift
trucks should be. Other than that, we should also set the speed limit of these trucks and make

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sure that everyone is following the rule. By doing so, we will be able to maintain the safe speed
of the fork lift trucks thus avoid unnecessary accidents that could cause a lot of damage.

Finally, changes and improvements may need some spending but in the long run, these
improvements will avoid the company from spending unnecessarily on hospital bills and
damaged goods. This is because by equipping the workers with adequate knowledge and
awareness on safe handling, we would be able to minimize accidents that could lead the
company to losses. At the same time some of the measures can be motivating to our workers thus
increasing their job satisfaction. From here, we don’t just create safe environment but also loyal
and efficient workers. In other words, the measures taken are not just to minimize accidents but
also to give extra motivation to our workers so that they can align their personal objectives with
the company’s objectives.

4.0 Conclusion

Safety at workplace is very important in maintaining the quality of the workforce and the
products manufactured by the company. This is because by maintaining the safety of the
workplace, our company could minimize the number of accidents. This is a good start towards an
accident free policy that is going to be implemented in the near future. A good way to increase
the awareness towards safety at work is by educating the workers on the issues. Awareness
program that could share the impact of such accidents towards not just the company but also the
workers as individuals could be beneficial to our workers. This is because we need to make sure
that our workers are aware of the effects of accidents towards them and their family members so
that they could be more careful in order to avoid accidents.

Finally, we as the members of the company should give full commitment in driving the company
towards implementing its safety policy in order to avoid accidents in the factory. With the
implementation of such policy, I hope that our workers could be more confident in working thus
increasing their job satisfaction as supported by Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs, Herzberg’s Two-
Factor Theory of Motivation and ERG Theory of Motivation. At the same time, with the drop in
the number of accident cases, our company will be able to increase profits as the number of
damaged goods could be reduced. Thus, in order to avoid losses due to accidents, we have to

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provide the adequate resources such as training, courses and programs that could educate our
workers in understanding the importance of maintaining safety at their workplace. With the
support by NIOSH, we would be able to successfully implement our safety policy in line with
NIOSH policy that states:

1. NIOSH is committed to ensure a safe and healthy working environment to all employees and
others involved in or affected by its operation taking into account statutory requirement and
relevant national and international standards and codes of practices”.
2. Implementation and effectiveness of the safety policy is a line management responsibility
together with the participation and involvement of all employees and NIOSH will ensure that
adequate resources, training and time are made available.” explains that in order to make
safety a success, adequate resources and training should be provided together with the
support from every level of a company.
3. OSH matter will be given equal priority with other major business objectives.
4. Safety and Health management systems and programmers will be regularly reviewed to
ensure continuous improvement.
5. Humanistic approach will be adopted by NIOSH to promote a safe and healthy work culture
which employer and employees share the common responsibility of creating a better work
environment for all.

Cited: http://www.niosh.com.my, National Institute of Safety and Health

Reported By:

Post: Occupational Health Manager, Ali Bagus Toys Sdn Bhd

Date: 18th November 2012

(2637 words)

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