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Investigating patterns of workplace fatal fall injuries: Case study of Malaysia

Zermane A, Tohir MZM, Baharudin MR, Yusoff HM

J Safety Res, 2023 Jun;85:492-506.
PMID: 37330899 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.05.003

INTRODUCTION: Falling from heights can be a serious and potentially life-threatening hazard. In Malaysia, falls from heights are one of the leading causes of workplace accidents and fatalities. The Malaysian Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) reported that the year 2021 recorded an alarmingly high number of fatalities, of which the majority of the injuries were due to falls from heights.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the different variables associated with fatal falls from heights, which will help identify potential areas to work on to prevent these types of injuries.
METHODS: The study analyzed 3,321 fatal falls from height accidents from 2010 to 2020 DOSH data. Data were cleaned and normalized to extract relevant information for analysis, with agreement on variables and reliability achieved through independent sampling.
RESULTS: This study found that general workers were the most vulnerable category to fatal falls, with a 32% yearly average, whereas supervisors were the least vulnerable, with 4%. Roofers recorded a yearly fatal falls average of 15.5%, followed by electricians with 12%. Cramer's V results ranged from negligible, weak, and strong correlations; strong to moderate correlation between the dates of injuries and the factors used in this study, whereas the direct and root causes recorded a weak to negligible correlation with the rest of the variables.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a better understanding of the working conditions of the Malaysian construction industry. By analyzing fall injury patterns and uncovering the factors, direct and root causes relationship with other variables, it was clear how severe the Malaysian workplace conditions were.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study will help better understand fatal fall injuries in the Malaysian construction industry and help develop prevention measures based on the uncovered patterns and associations.
Fulltext Gender, airborne chemical monitoring, and physical work environment are related to indoor air symptoms among nonindustrial workers in the Klang Valley, Malaysia

Syazwan AI, Hafizan J, Baharudin MR, Azman AZ, Izwyn Z, Zulfadhli I, et al.

Ther Clin Risk Manag, 2013;9:87-105.
PMID: 23526736 DOI: 10.2147/TCRM.S39136

The purpose of this study was to analyze the relationship of airborne chemicals and the physical work environment risk element on the indoor air symptoms of nonindustrial workers.
Fulltext A cluster-randomized trial study on effectiveness of health education based intervention (HEBI) in improving flood disaster preparedness among community in Selangor, Malaysia: a study protocol

Mohd Tariq MN, Shahar HK, Baharudin MR, Ismail SNS, Manaf RA, Salmiah MS, et al.

BMC Public Health, 2021 09 24;21(1):1735.
PMID: 34560858 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-11719-3

BACKGROUND: Flood disaster preparedness among the community seldom received attention. Necessary intervention must be taken to prevent the problem. Health Education Based Intervention (HEBI) was developed following the Health Belief Model, particularly in improving flood disaster preparedness among the community. The main objective of this study is to assess the effect of HEBI on improving flood disaster preparedness among the community in Selangor. This study aims to develop, implement, and evaluate the impact of health education-based intervention (HEBI) based on knowledge, skills, and preparedness to improve flood disaster preparedness among the community in Selangor.
METHOD: A single-blind cluster randomized controlled trial will conduct at six districts in Selangor. Randomly selected respondents who fulfilled the inclusion criteria will be invited to participate in the study. Health education module based on Health Believed Theory will be delivered via health talks and videos coordinated by liaison officers. Data at three-time points at baseline, immediate, and 3 months post-intervention will be collected. A validated questionnaire will assess participants' background characteristics, knowledge, skill, and preparedness on disaster preparedness and perception towards disaster. Descriptive and inferential statistics will be applied for data analysis using IBM Statistical Package for Social Sciences version 25. Longitudinal correlated data on knowledge, skills, preparedness, and perception score at baseline, immediate post-intervention, and 6 months post-intervention will be analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE).
DISCUSSION: It is expected that knowledge, skills, preparedness, and flood disaster perception score are more significant in the intervention group than the control group, indicating the Health Education Based Intervention (HEBI).
TRIAL REGISTRATION: Thai Clinical Trial TCTR20200202002 .
Fulltext Facing flood disaster: A cluster randomized trial assessing communities' knowledge, skills and preparedness utilizing a health model intervention

Mhd Noor MT, Kadir Shahar H, Baharudin MR, Syed Ismail SN, Abdul Manaf R, Md Said S, et al.

PLoS One, 2022;17(11):e0271258.
PMID: 36441735 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0271258

Floods occur when a body of water overflows and submerges normally dry terrain. Tropical cyclones or tsunamis cause flooding. Health and safety are jeopardized during a flood. As a result, proactive flood mitigation measures are required. This study aimed to increase flood disaster preparedness among Selangor communities in Malaysia by implementing a Health Belief Model-Based Intervention (HEBI). Selangor's six districts were involved in a single-blinded cluster randomized controlled trial Community-wide implementation of a Health Belief Model-Based Intervention (HEBI). A self-administered questionnaire was used. The intervention group received a HEBI module, while the control group received a health talk on non-communicable disease. The baseline variables were compared. Immediate and six-month post-intervention impacts on outcome indicators were assessed. 284 responses with a 100% response rate. At the baseline, there were no significant differences in ethnicity, monthly household income, or past disaster experience between groups (p>0.05). There were significant differences between-group for intervention on knowledge, skills, preparedness (p<0.001), Perceived Benefit Score (p = 0.02), Perceived Barrier Score (p = 0.03), and Cues to Action (p = 0.04). GEE analysis showed receiving the HEBI module had effectively improved knowledge, skills, preparedness, Perceived Benefit Score, Perceived Barrier Score, and Cues to Action in the intervention group after controlling the covariate. Finally, community flood preparedness ensured that every crisis decision had the least impact on humans. The HEBI module improved community flood preparedness by increasing knowledge, skill, preparedness, perceived benefit, perceived barrier, and action cues. As a result, the community should be aware of this module. Clinical trial registration: The trial registry name is Thai Clinical Trials Registry, trial number TCTR20200202002.
Fulltext A Review on Safety Practices for Firefighters During Photovoltaic (PV) Fire

Ramali MR, Mohd Nizam Ong NAF, Md Said MS, Mohamed Yusoff H, Baharudin MR, Tharima AF, et al.

Fire Technol, 2023;59(1):247-270.
PMID: 35637789 DOI: 10.1007/s10694-022-01269-4

In recent years, it is evident that there is a surge in photovoltaic (PV) systems installations on buildings. It is concerning that PV system related fire incidents have been reported throughout the years. Like any other electrical power system, PV systems pose fire and electrical hazards when at fault. As a consequence, PV fires compromised the safety of emergency responders. Therefore, the objective of this review is to evaluate the elements of firefighters' safety practices and subsequently collate the best safety practices for local fire rescue and firefighters in the event of PV fires. Out of 264 documents, only 20 publications were identified as 'closely related' and were systematically reviewed to evaluate firefighter safety practices from a scholarly perspective. Only 3% of the 20 publications reviewed, discussed the safety practices during PV fires. Thirteen safety practice key points were extracted from the reviewed documents, with nine critical findings highlighted as the hallmark of safety practices during PV fire for firefighters. The lack of academic journals discussing the fire safety aspects proves that there is a low interest in this field which is in dire need of further study and exploration to adhere with the PV population in ensuring a reliable emergency operation to minimize losses or injuries due to accidents.