NAGA Achieves One Million Safe Man-Hours Status

SRI AMAN: Naim Gamuda (Naga) JV made history when it achieved the One Million Safe Man-Hours status since starting work on a package of the Pan Borneo Highway (PBH) project in September last year, setting a safety record for the whole mega project.

Safe Man-Hours is the number of hours worked without incurring any Lost Time Injury as a result of accidents or unwanted events that could lead to injuries, losses, fatalities and property damage.

“The One Million Safe Man-Hours is a significant achievement for the construction sector as safety, health and environmental awareness gains momentum in the industry.

This is very much in line with the government’s vision to transform the construction sector’s 3D image (dirty, dangerous, and difficult) to one that is clean, safe and efficient,” said Naim Group of Companies chief operating officer Sivakumar Ramasamy.

The safety standards achieved as well as the establishment of the Naim Gamuda JV Training Centre is testimony to the exceptional safety and health standards practised by joint venture partners Naim Engineering and Gamuda Engineering, he said in his welcoming speech during the launch of the JV company’s Safety Week Campaign and the opening of its Training Centre at Klauh Land District near Temudok here yesterday.

According to Sivakumar, the Pan Borneo Highway is a long-term project involving hundreds of Sarawakians and their priority is to ensure their safety and health at all times and to date, they had inducted 1,500 workers.

“To further assert our commitment to safety, we now have the Safety Handbook which serves as a guide to preventing serious injuries and fatalities.

“We will continue to enhance our educational packages on safety and health to suit the needs of the Pan Borneo Highway project and future projects. We are grateful for the support given to us by the Department of Safety and Health and Construction Industry Development Board in this area,” he added.

Naim Gamuda JV was given Work Package 4 (or WPC04) of the PBH mega project.

WPC04 is about 91 km in length, spanning from Pantu Junction to Batang Skrang in Sarawak.

A total of 72 Sarawakians are working with Naim Gamuda JV for WPC04 as site engineers, site supervisors, surveyors, mechanics and skilled operators, in addition to serving in multiple administrative roles.

Besides the ‘One Million Safe Man-Hours’ achievement, Naim Gamuda JV also celebrated the launch of the Naim Gamuda Training Centre for construction safety there, the first of its kind for the project.

State DOSH acting director Mut Sagai, who officiated at the function yesterday, said Naim Gamuda could not achieve such milestone without the dedication, commitment and support of both management and staff.

“The opening of the training centre shows it is dedicated to construction safety,” he said.

The centre serves as an integrated hub to provide training on quality, safety, health and environmental (QSHE) awareness. Training is given to its workers and skilled and non-skilled workers of third-party contractors. The training centre located in Temudok here can accommodate up to 80 trainees.

The Pan Borneo Highway was first announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak in April 2013 during the 13th General Election and was formalised in Budget 2015. The 2,000km toll-free road that stretches from Telok Melano, Sarawak to Serudong, Sabah, is estimated to cost RM29 billion and is scheduled for completion in 2023.

The mega project is expected to spur tourism and economic growth. Local communities are expected to benefit tremendously with increased job and business opportunities.

Source: The Borneo Post