A FORM Five student was killed in a bizarre incident in the study room of his boarding school when the wall collapsed on him at SMK Datuk Harun in Tanjung Karang, Selangor (”Boy dies in school accident” — NST, Sept 27).

This is not the first time a fatal accident has occurred in a school. Over the years, a number of fatal accidents have occurred in schools.

In the wake of the latest tragedy, it is all the more urgent for the Education Ministry to emphasise and implement a safety-and-health policy for all schools.

A matter of utmost concern is the quality of construction of the school wall at SMK Datuk Harun by the contractor concerned.

The subject of “safe schools” should not be confined only to aspects concerning indiscipline, crime, threats to the safety of students, bullying and gangster-like behaviour, etc, but also to matters concerning the safety of school buildings, classrooms, equipment and all available amenities in schools.

In short, the aspect of occupational safety and health in schools should be looked into.

There is a need for schools to be aware of the existence and importance of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 and its application to educational institutions.

The application of the act to schools as “the place of work” aims to make all schools safe and healthy places of work for teachers, students or visitors alike.

In line with the provisions of the act, it is the duty of the employers (school managements) to formulate a safety and health policy for their schools, implement risk-prevention through safety and health inspection and safety-and-health auditing of schools and to decide on remedial measures in the interest of safety and health at the workplaces.

Through safety-and-health training as well as safety-and-health promotion, every school will be more aware of potential hazards in all parts of the school, such as the classrooms and laboratories, and be more capable of dealing with them.

Source: NST – October 7, 2008