Malaysian Safety Standards?

I know working on high-rise construction projects will inevitably involve some dangerous moments, but I wonder if workers should be balancing on rooftop beams (without safety equipment, at least that’s how it looks) like the guys in the video below, shot from my bedroom window.

It kind of reminds me of footage of construction workers building skyscrapers in New York, Chicago, etc. during the 1930s. Is that how far behind Malaysian safety standards are?

Oh, and try to ignore the blotchy stuff on the screen. My digital camera cleaning and storage standards apparently aren’t so good either.

UPDATE: A Facebook friend pointed out that the safety standards are already there (and that they include the requirement for construction workers like the ones in the video to wear harnesses), and that the problem is enforcement. I agree, but when compliance and enforcement are both sorely lacking (this certainly isn’t an isolated incident), I think a case can be made that the standards themselves aren’t good enough. And I should be clear that to me, in this case anyway, standards is a big-picture term that includes both compliance and enforcement.

Posted on July 8th, 2009
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4 Comments a “Malaysian Safety Standards?”

  1. Bibi says:

    you are considered part malaysian so cleaning and storage standard also follow its standard la…hahahaha

  2. Jordan says:

    Yeah, you’d think after living here for several years I’d be more mindful of how quickly mould and dust can get into a camera.

  3. Gurindam Jiwa says:

    Nice view from the bedroom. Gives your in-bed activities added thrills.

  4. mj says:

    When I was traveling around Asia, I remember seeing scaffolding built out of bamboo–I think that was in China. Overall, I wasn’t impressed with the construction in various countries over there–and it’s not like there are strict building codes and honest inspectors.

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