Construction Labor & Safety Weekly (May 26–June 1st, 2025)
Paperwork & Parapets: SOCSO Amnesty Ends as Selangor Fall Sparks Height-Safety Blitz
Feature Stories
Top Labour Story — SOCSO Amnesty Clock Strikes Midnight
After 60 days of outreach, PERKESO’s Amnesty 2025 closed at 23:59 on 31 May. Employers who came forward avoided back-dated compounds and ≈ RM 100 million in late-payment charges, regularising cover for one million additional workers. Human Resources Minister Steven Sim warned that Ops Kesan inspections restart this week; errant firms face RM 10 000 per worker fines, 3-year prosecution windows and debarment from government tenders. Immediate to-dos: print the PERKESO confirmation slip for every crew member, sync your payroll file with SOCSO’s e-Contribution portal, and brief subcontractors who pay cash on site.
Top Safety Story — 22-Storey Fall Triggers Stop-Work Order
A migrant plasterer fell from the 22nd floor of a condominium tower in Shah Alam on 28 May; investigators say no safety harness was clipped. DOSH Selangor issued an immediate stop-work order while probing breaches of its revised Work-at-Height guide (effective 6 May). The tragedy underlines DOSH’s new hierarchy—eliminate, then collective protection (guard-rails, nets), then personal arrest. Site leaders should run an emergency gap audit: verify every scaffold ledger, refresh worker competency records, and require dual sign-offs (site manager + HSE) before jobs above ground re-start.
Field Reports
Labour Nuggets
KL Night Raid Nets 90 Offenders (31 May) — A 2 a.m. joint force shut an illegal Bukit Bintang club, seizing narcotics and detaining dozens for document offences. Immigration warned employers that harbouring overstayers means quota freezes and court action.
Repatriation 2.0 Continues Quietly — Putrajaya’s Migrant Repatriation Programme (RM 500 exit compound vs RM 10 000 fine) runs until 30 Apr 2026. NGOs are blanketing work camps with QR-code flyers; HR managers should circulate the notice to pre-empt sudden raid-driven labour gaps.
Safety Nuggets
Welfare-Facility Ratios Locked-In — DOSH’s updated web page now mandates 1 WC : 25 male workers, 1 wash-basin : 20, shaded rest shelters, boiling-water points, and nursing-mother rooms. Enforcement sweeps start mid-June—map locations on your site plan and keep photo logs of daily cleaning.
2023 Injury Census Out — DOSM logged 5,402 non-fatal and 185 fatal construction injuries last year; falls remained top killer at 37 %. Benchmark your KPIs and sharpen toolbox talks on edge protection.
Pro-Tip Corner — Safety Tip
Harness-&-Edge Buddy Drill: before anyone climbs scaffold or slab edge, a 30-second peer check confirms anchorage, lanyard length and clear fall-zone. Snap a photo and log it in your digital diary—an audit-ready receipt that costs pennies and saves lives.
Final Thought
The end of an amnesty and the loss of a life arrived hours apart—proof that compliance on paper and control on site are inseparable. Close both gaps: pay what’s due, secure every edge, and show crews that safety and fairness are your twin red-lines.