Construction Labor & Safety Weekly (June 2–June 8th, 2025)
The week where workforce development and work-at-height discipline shared equal billing.
Top Labour Story — National Training Week targets 60 000 Sabahans
Human Resources Minister Steven Sim launched HRD Corp’s National Training Week 2025 in Pulau Gaya on 1 June, announcing funding and partnerships to train 60 000 residents—four times last year’s reach. Workshops range from digital marketing to basic trades, plus a new SHINE lifelong-learning hub with Universiti Malaysia Sabah. The ministry frames the blitz as phase one of “local skills first,” the same logic that underpins this year’s multi-tier levy: the more skilled Malaysians on payroll, the lower the foreign-worker bill. HR teams elsewhere should watch for travelling NTW clinics and earmark staff for micro-credentials that count toward CIDB green-card renewals.
Top Safety Story — Fatal 8-storey fall freezes Bukit Mertajam site
At 10 a.m. on 5 June a 41-year-old surveyor plunged through an inadequately boarded pressurisation-shaft opening on the eighth floor of a Penang condo project. DOSH issued three Prohibition Notices and invoked Section 15(1) OSHA— contractors now face prosecution if daily edge checks, anchor logs and worker-competency records are not airtight. The case is the first fatality investigated against DOSH’s May-issued Work-at-Height guide; inspectors say plywood covers alone will no longer satisfy “collective protection.” Safety leads should re-audit every void, lift-shaft and stairwell before nightfall.
Field Reports
Labour Nuggets
Ops Kesan enforcement begins (3 Jun) – PERKESO officers fanned out nationwide just two days after the amnesty closed; fines now run RM10 000 per unregistered worker and quota suspensions are on the table. Print each crew member’s SOCSO confirmation slip and keep it in the site safety file.
MYXpats half-day closure (6 Jun) – Immigration’s MYXpats Centre shut from 12:15 p.m., delaying Employment-Pass endorsements. If you lodge expatriate renewals this month, pad in 24 h for batch processing delays.
Safety Nuggets
Welfare-facility ratios uploaded (6 May update) – DOSH’s construction portal now spells out 1 WC : 25 men, 1 wash-basin : 20 staff, shaded rest shelters and nursing-mother rooms, with inspections set to start mid-June. Map these points on your site plan and photograph daily cleaning for evidence.
Level-1 heat advisory (2 Jun) – MetMalaysia flagged six peninsular districts after three straight days above 35 °C. Public-health experts warn wet-bulb readings of 31 °C can kill in hours; DOSH is urged to halt outdoor works in peak noon heat. Equip crews with 250 ml water every 20 min and shade canopies at every scaffold bay.
Pro-Tip Corner – Safety Tip
“Shaft-Guard 60” Rule: Every shaft, riser or stairwell opening must carry a fixed guard-rail or 18 mm plywood plus red danger tape within 60 minutes of being cut—no exceptions, no overnight gaps. Log the install time on the digital site diary; it’s the first line DOSH will check after any fall.
Final Thought
A trained Malaysian workforce lowers levy costs, but only a rigorously safe site lets that talent thrive. Pair the new skills drive with zero-gap edge protection and show crews that career growth and personal safety climb the scaffold together.