Kuala Lumpur, 4 January 2021 – The Construction Industry Development Board Malaysia (CIDB) urges construction industry players to comply with the current standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the National Security Council (MKN) to prevent the spread of COVID-19 cases on construction sites due to the increased rate of transmission on construction sites nationwide, particularly in Klang Valley.
In addition, CIDB will intensify the implementation of construction site inspection. If a project is found to be not in compliance with SOPs, the contractor may be charged in accordance with Section 34B (1) (c) and Section 34C (1) of the Development Board Act Malaysian Construction Industry 1994 (Act 520) about contractors’ obligation to ensure safety during or after construction. Failure to comply may result in disciplinary actions including penalty, suspension or cancelled registration.
To date, the number of cases at construction sites has exceeded 4,000 positive cases. The CIDB and Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) investigation found that a sudden increase of cases at construction sites is caused by:
a) close contact with existing clusters;
b) the transfer of construction workers under subcontractors from one site to another; and
c) dense employee placement with no social distancing and standard hygiene.
“CIDB takes this situation seriously and urges all contractors to be responsible and comply with the SOPs of the Conditional Movement Control Order (PKPB) and Recovery Movement Control Order (PKPP). This includes ensuring all foreign workers undergo COVID-19 screening test to confirm that they are free from infection,” said Datuk Ir. Ahmad ‘Asri Abdul Hamid, CEO of CIDB.
From 20 April to 17 December 2020, CIDB had done 13,977 inspections involving 7,996 construction sites nationwide (7,840 sites or 98 per cent have started operating and 158 or 2 per cent have not). From the inspections, 318 (4 per cent) were found to be not in compliance with SOPs.
“In addition to complying with the SOPs set by MKN, contractors are also required to comply with the Act of Minimum Standards for Employee Housing and Facilities (Amendment) 2019 (Act 446). Not only is SOP compliance important to prevent the spread of COVID-19, but it can also avoid losses to contractors as well as customers in the long term,” he added.
– Construction+ Online
Source: CIDB
