Safety & Health

The safety and health of Bousteadors is given top priority, and we continually work to enhance all processes and systems to protect the well-being of our people as well as those involved in our operations, be it directly or indirectly. Our goal is to create a pervasive safety culture in which everyone assumes responsibility for his/her own health and safety as well as that of others.

Safety and Health Management

We acknowledge the various safety risks our employees are exposed to on a daily basis in the workplace and are conscious of our duty to manage our operations in a way that protects the safety and health of our people. As the highest governing body for the Group, the Sustainability Committee oversees our safety and health performance.

We have a Group Safety and Health Policy, which is replicated in the safety and health policies of our divisions. The Policy outlines in detail our commitment to safeguarding the safety of our people as well as to foster their good health. It also defines the role that our employees play in terms of safety and health.

Our Safety and Health Policy is guided by ILO principles and requirements as stipulated by Malaysia’s Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Adherence to the Policy ensures we meet all Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act 1994 regulations. Compliance with our Safety and Health Policy is assured by 15 certified safety officers who oversee safety and health management across all operations.

Some of our business units are OSH Management System certified. All Pharmaniaga’s Manufacturing as well as Logistics and Distribution subsidiaries, Boustead Naval Shipyard Sdn Bhd, Boustead DCNS Naval Corporation Sdn Bhd and UAC Berhad have migrated to the ISO 45001:2018 OSH management system, while some of our business units are OSHAS 18001:2007 certified.

Safety and Health Performance

In 2020, we initiated a Group-wide target to reduce our Lost Time Injury Frequency Rate (LTIFR) by 10% every year. In 2021, we recorded 5.5% LTIFR reduction of 4.47 compared to 4.73 in 2020. We also saw our total number of accidents reduce by a significant 39%.

Despite a better performance overall, however, we regrettably recorded one fatality during the year involving a tractor accident in one of our plantation estates. Following the incident, a thorough investigation was carried out to identify the cause, and immediate actions were taken to prevent a recurrence. These include improving all machinery and road maintenance, enhancing our work supervision systems, and changing from manual tractor-trailer pairing to automatic pairing. Fatalities are unacceptable at Boustead Group and we will spare no effort to protect the lives of our employees.

During the year, there were zero safety and health noncompliance cases resulting in significant fines or non-monetary sanctions.

Total No of Accidents vs. LTIFR in 2021

Note: LTIFR = Lost time injury accident/ total man-hours worked x 1,000,000

Workplace Safety Programmes

To nurture a culture of safety, we conduct various safety and health programmes for our employees throughout the year. Active collaboration between our certified safety officers and local authorities such as DOSH allows us to coordinate safety training sessions that improve employee knowledge and skills. We require our contractors and business partners to also adhere to our Safety and Health Policy.

The following is a list of programmes carried out in 2021:

Programme	Description
Safety Training and Engagement	During the year, we conducted 73 safety and health related training sessions for more than 14,397 employees across the Group, focusing on basic safety training, basic first aid training, and fire prevention and drills. Employees also attended specific work hazard training and briefing sessions on Emergency Preparedness & Response, Hearing Conservation & Chemical Safety, Hazardous Material Handling & Oil Spill Response, among others. On-site vendors participated in safety forums and workshops outlining the Group’s expectations. We also organised training sessions for our contractors and business partners.
Safety & Health Risk Assessment and Controls	The Hazard Identification, Risk Assessment and Risk Control (HIRARC) is carried out on all tasks. Personal exposure monitoring devices are utilised to evaluate the extent of exposure to dangerous chemicals and substances. Based on the findings, viable, effective controls are identified in line with the Hierarchy of Controls under HIRARC.
Safety Inspections, Audits and Investigations	In addition to audits by DOSH, we implement DOSH’s Systematic Occupational Health Enhancement Level Programme (SoHELP). This includes: Daily safety walkabouts and monthly workplace inspections Inspection of machinery, lifts and firefighting systems Site audits on contractors In 2021, we conducted 733 workplace inspections and 29 internal safety audits. We also conducted incident investigations aimed at preventing the recurrence of safety incidents. Preventive and corrective actions identified were then communicated to all relevant parties.
Safety & Health Committee Meetings	Joint management-worker Safety Committees at our different business units met on a quarterly basis to deliberate on OSH matters. The meetings provided a formal channel to discuss the results of safety audits and incident investigations as well as any safety complaints received from stakeholders or employees. The safety and health performance of the business units were also reviewed at the meetings.

COVID-19 Related Safety and Health Measures

Various initiatives implemented in 2020 to manage the health and safety implications of the pandemic have continued into 2021. They include the following:

Work from home and work rotations
Application of stringent SOPs in accordance with guidelines issued by relevant government agencies for onsite staff
including social distancing, mask wearing, temperature screening at entry points
Frequent sanitisation of common facilities
Provision of hand sanitisers at entry points
Travel restrictions to red zone areas
Continuous communication on SOPs and proper hygiene via email blasts, official Group chats and posters
Provision of COVID-19 self-declaration forms to employees
Mass swab tests
Encouraging employees to be vaccinated, and setting up vaccination centres at some of our work premises

Safeguarding Employee Well-being

At Boustead, we believe that happy and healthy employees are the most productive. We therefore invest in Bousteadors’ physical and mental well-being. Several of our workplaces are equipped with gymnasiums, while free medical services are provided at clinics located within our estates and mills. Recognising the mental stress of coping with two years of the pandemic, we also organise talks on mental health and well-being.

In order to maintain social distancing, we have had to halt many of our programmes promoting health, including sports and recreational activities as well as blood donation drives. To compensate, we have been sharing messages on staying physically and mentally fit via various online and social media platforms.