Creating a safe, healthy workplace is the responsible thing to do and the responsibility of all
By Sue Ann Lim, CelcomDigi's Head of OSH, Supply Chain Management & Wellbeing
I am deeply concerned about the surge in occupational injuries reported by the Malaysian Statistics Department (DOSM). While there are no data disclosed for 2023 as yet, the 58.9 percent increase from 2021 to 2022, reaching 34,216 cases is alarming. These figures underscore the ongoing challenges in workplace safety, signalling a pressing need for concerted efforts to mitigate such incidents. As the amended Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act takes effect on 1 June 2024, it is timely for organisations to double up their efforts in fostering a safe and healthy work environment for employees.
As an organisation that employs more than 3,600 employees (whom we fondly call CDzens) and works with hundreds of business partners daily, we have one priority in mind: to safeguard the wellbeing of those who work for and with us so that they can return safely to their family at day’s end. This is why my team and I strive to continuously improve and drive a proactive safety culture, benchmarking our performance against the Hudson Safety Culture Maturity Model, an internationally recognised safety culture assessment tool.
As a start, Celcom and Digi had in place matured OSH policies and practices, which adhere to the highest industry standards. Following the merger, this gave us the ability to quickly establish our new OSH policies, leaving us to work on the harder part of the puzzle – implementation and actual practice - so we can achieve our goal of zero incidents.
If you and your team are in the early days of your OSH journey, here are four aspects to consider:
Setting the right foundation: Top-down approach to building a proactive safety and health culture
Building a safe, healthy workplace is a journey that requires both mindset and behavioural changes. They need to be based on shared beliefs and values, prioritise as part of the organisation’s business strategy and way of work, and have management focus.
Our management and senior leaders are pivotal in integrating OSH within our operations. By prioritising safety as a core value and part of our Responsible Business strategic pillar, they set the tone for the entire organisation. They lead by example, by following safety protocols and by visibly advocating for safety at all times. Our leaders are trained in Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) and OSH is a standing topic at all leadership forum and townhall sessions. They make personal efforts to do unannounced inspections of our workplace safety conditions of our office premises. Their actions speak volumes, influencing how CDzens perceive and prioritise safety and health in their everyday activities.
Building an OSH-first culture starts with you and me
It is important to nurture a culture where every employee looks out for each other. This can be achieved when employees are equipped with these 3Es – Educating, Empowerment and Expertise – to recognise and reduce risks.
We educate and bolster awareness of safety practices through annual mandatory e-learning, hands-on training sessions and various OSH-related events, such as Health & Safety Week and Mental Wellbeing Day. To promote employee health and wellness, we have developed our own health app, CD Wellbeing where CDzens can book our in-house gym and recreational facilities, training sessions with professional trainers, track their fitness progress, and more.
Our employees are also not only encouraged but empowered to champion a safety-first mindset, enabling them to take proactive measures when necessary, such as alerting their managers or using our internal hotline to report potential hazards.
Beyond educating and empowering with the right knowledge and tools, we also believe in building expertise amongst employees. My team’s immediate priority post-merger was establishing a safety committee and emergency response team, which includes 60 trained first aiders. These dedicated CDzens have completed thorough competency training, including Basic Occupational First Aid, CPR & AED, and Firefighter Training courses. We also have 93 OSH coordinators across all our office premises, and we have certified 58 CDzens as mental health first aiders to offer mental health support to our workforce as necessary. All these groups of CDzens are trained with specific skillsets and are responsible to promote and inculcate a OSH culture within the organisation.
Extending safety mandate to vendors and suppliers via collaboration and capacity building
An organisation is only as strong as the sum of all its parts, and this includes the external vendors and suppliers that we work with. Onboarding and helping them understand the need to adhere to high standards of health and safety are also essential as they are part of the company’s supply chain. This can be achieved through training, monitoring and compliance. It not only safeguards our business, but we are also helping our partners elevate their OSH practices too, which builds their credibility and trustworthiness which makes them more likely to be considered for partnership by other organisations.
We do regular engagement, training and working hand-in-hand with our vendors and suppliers’ management team and safety officers to enhance best practices and way of work. In 2023, more than 2,400 of our vendors and suppliers have clocked in over 23,400 training hours. In addition, we also perform a HIRARC training and evaluation to ensure the right safety measures are in place at the start of every job. This practice has been integrated since we merged, positioning us ahead of compliance with the amended OSH Act 2022 regulations.
Innovating an in-house app CD’PTW (CelcomDigi Permit-to-Work) helps us to monitor our contractors and sub-contractors real-time. Using a live web camera, we are able to keep track their work practices, ensuring compliance of the standard operating procedures and safety protocols before they start work. Besides that, we also conduct regular spot checks at their work sites.
We also mandated all our vendors and suppliers to sign our Agreement of Responsible Business Conduct, a requirement which stipulates their commitment to comply to our guidelines in the areas of OSH, ethical conduct, human rights, and environmental management. To ensure our practices are up to standard, we run yearly independent audits. We have been able to secure various ISO certifications such as ISO45001 Occupational Health & Safety Management System and ISO14001 Environment Management System for our high standards of OSH and environmental management.
Raising safety and health standards is an industry responsibility
Going beyond the four walls of our organisation, it is also important to foster environments where companies within the industry can openly share knowledge and best practices. We meet on a quarterly basis with our telco counterparts to share our experiences, learnings, and even challenges.
This collective effort not only enhances the overall understanding of safety protocols but also sets a higher standard for performance, leading to enhanced reputation, trust, and regulatory compliance. By prioritising safety as a shared goal, industries can create safer workplaces, protect their workforce, and build a foundation for sustainable success.
We all have a role to play
For those beginning on this journey towards nurturing a culture of safety and health first within your organisation, and this article was little bit TLDR for you, remember that we all have a role to play:
All the best!
