KUALA LUMPUR: A weak economy is usually associated with more safety incidents in various industries and this calls for better safety measures to be taken before disaster strikes.
With more than 150 deaths and serious injuries in the Malaysian manufacturing sector last year, more emphasis is being given to reduce industrial accidents as they represent a fundamental business risk issue.
With this and other process safety issues in mind, the Chemical Industries Council of Malaysia (CICM) and Institution of Chemical Engineers are organising the Third Hazards Asia Pacific Symposium from April 21 to 23.
Looking to promote and educate those involved in process safety, especially those in the oil and gas (O&G), energy and chemical sectors, symposium-organising committee chairman Ong Ewe Hock said the event is expected to gather about 240 participants from around the world.
Themed “building sustainable operations and processes”, he said process safety among various industries is taking a more prominent role as it has a significant impact on a company’s profitability and reputation.
“We have arranged for some interesting speakers, such as Keiji Kuma, deputy general manager of environment, safety and quality of Mitsubishi Chemical Corp, who will share his experience in the aftermath of the Fukushima earthquake in March 2011.”
Among the other speakers are Judith Hackitt from the United Kingdom, Nancy Kralik from the United States and Occupational Safety and Health Department director-general Mohtar Musri.
Ong said the symposium will focus on human factors in process safety, how it affects the workflow and the safety of control systems.
He said they will also touch on the mindset and behaviour of workers that could affect process safety.
“This is an important aspect as industry figures show that when the oil price is low, the number of safety incidents rises. When the oil price is low, the economy is generally weaker and this may prompt companies to adopt different approaches to their processes.”
For example, he said that between 1998 and 2000, there was a steep increase in the number of safety incidents.
“Between 2008 and 2009, there was a 14% increase in lost time due to injuries. Both periods corresponded to weak economic conditions at the time.”
Ong, who is also managing director of Du Pont Malaysia Sdn Bhd, said the symposium will look at how to best build a sustainable business in challenging economic times, while providing a platform for industry leaders to exchange views on the issue.
Meanwhile, symposium-organising committee member Muhtar Hashim said the conference papers are expected to generate keen interest from the industry players as the speakers will share a lot of their experiences.
He said 30% of the 250 participants are expected to be foreigners.
He added that Malaysia is well established in O&G activities and its knowledge in the field is well recognised.
Muhtar said they will also hear ways to save on insurance premiums when incorporating better safety systems and processes.
“They can also share experience in better sustainability of small and medium industries, especially on matters of downtime and litigation due to safety incidents.”
This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily, on April 17, 2015.