The National Council for Safety and Health recently organised an awareness programme specifically for students at SMK Jelapang. The programme was a joint effort by several government agencies among which were the state safety and health department and the state education department. The objective was to address safety and health issues in schools besides creating awareness in teachers and students and measures to take when an accident or an emergency occurs.
According to Dato’ Hj Shamsuddin Abu Hassan, the Executive Councillor for Consumer Affairs, Human Resources and Non-governmental Organisations, education is central to enhancing the nation’s economic and social stature.
“Efforts to promote occupational safety and health should begin in schools. Their success, however, relies on the cooperation of parents, teachers and students. By having this awareness programme, we hope the people concerned will appreciate the importance of maintaining a safe and healthy working environment,” said Shamsuddin in his opening remarks.
Accidents frequently happen in school laboratories, at workplaces and at workshops. The conduct of these awareness programmes will help reduce the occurrence of these incidences.
Over 500 people attended the programme which culminated in the signing of a memorandum of understanding between Sekolah Kebangsaan Haji Mahmud, Chemor and LaFarge Cement Factory. The school was chosen as a participant in Lafarge’s introductory occupational safety and health management programme.
Yvette
