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Written by Syikin

Category: LETTER TO EDITOR

Published: 12 June 2020

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15/FEB/2016

You would have used one today. In fact is the US 90 billion riders use it annually – the escalator.

Early February this year a poor four year old lost half a foot due to a traumatizing incident on the escalator. When we combed the media report online we discovered at least nine (9) incidents of children injured on escalators in Malaysia – mostly were reported on blogs. We also found seven (7) incidents in Singapore from 2006 – 2016 with five (5) involving children.

Are escalators unsafe to children?

The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission of USCPSC reported back in 2007 there were about 11,000 escalator related injuries. Upon investigation the US CPSC is able to say that most injuries are due to fall, ten (10) percent occur when hands, feet or shoes are trapped in escalators. Soft shoes particularly clogs are most likely to get stuck similarly with ladies shoes.

When we researched online about escalator safety incidents we were nearly traumatized by the kinds of injuries children sustain and that kept us from riding the escalator for a while. But it also sensitized us about the dangers of using escalators – ONLY if we do not mind the safety measures.

As children (usually) under the age of seven are most prone to accidents on escalators, please pay extra attention to their safety when using the escalators. It’s like riding a car or motorcycle or using the bus and crossing the road. They need to be protected when using any mechanical installation.

Always know where the emergency stop button is. The facility’s maintenance team must ensure that the emergency stop button is always in working condition – of course. Adults and children alike must ensure that shoes are tied before getting on an escalator and avoid wearing clogs or soft shoes. Parents need to ensure that children are constantly reminded to use the escalator safely especially placing their foot in the centre and alighting promptly. If you are unsure of where you are do not stop after alighting and wonder. There maybe people behind you who need to alight – promptly and not able to do so with you blocking their way. Building management should not allow use of strollers and prams on escalators. People with strollers or prams and carts – please use the elevators / lift.

However, with many cases of injuries to children, building and mall owners, escalator manufacturers and installers and the relevant government agencies should perpetually educate the general public about safe use of elevators. Advertising space near escalators should probably be reserved for safe escalator use awareness, promotion and education.

Agencies such as the Department of Occupational Safety and Health should make it mandatory for building and escalator brand owners to report incidents – if DOSH has not done that already.
 
Building owners and brand owners who fail to report incidents should be penalized. DOSH and the relevant emergency response agency should investigate the cause and detailed report made available to organisations working on public safety. Investigations into the incidents will shed light and may result in one or more improvements in terms of design, maintenance, review of safety standards and compliance with these standards. Let’s elevate safety standards for the sake of our children.

Prof Datuk Dr. Marimuthu Nadason
President
Malaysian Association of Standards Users

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Written by Syikin

Category: LETTER TO EDITOR

Published: 12 June 2020

Hits: 12203

23/AUG/2013

EXPRESS / TOUR BUSSES AND ALL COMERCIAL VEHICLES CALL OF STRICT COMPLIANCE WITH UNECE R66, 80 AND 36

Based on accident reports in the MEDIA and on the outcome of accident investigations involving express buses, we observed that there are major accidents involving express busses at least once a year since 2006.

If all the actions trumpeted after the Bukit Gantang tragedy in August, 2007 were seriously implemented, monitored, evaluated and continuously improved, chances of the Dec 26 2009, Dec 20th 2010, Nov 12 2011, the March 5 2012 and the Aug 21 2013 accidents happening could have been minimised, if not totally avoided.

The loss of lives may be even prevented.

Following Bukit Gantang tragedy in August, 2007 authorities decided to make rules governing bus companies and their operations stricter and even requiring bus companies use busses with strong superstructures. This was because more often than not the high number of fatalities and severe injuries are also contributed by weak body structures of the buses.

The Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) has provide the following recommendations (among others) after the incident on 20 Dec 2013 and even in 2007:
•    Full compliance with Safety, Health and the Environment Code of Practice (SHE COP), developed for the transportation sector in 2007.
•    All buses have to comply with good safety standards, such as UNECE's R66, R80 and R36, to be roadworthy. Under United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (or UNECE) specifies standards for safety of vehicles especially the provisions governing the strength of bus superstructure which is often referred to as R66. R80 is the Uniform provisions concerning the approval of seats of large vehicles and of these vehicles with regard to the strength of seats and Anchorages. The R36 is for Construction of Public Service Vehicles.

MIROS points out that drivers will have minimal time for training and re-training, and personal development when they chase for extra trips for increased income and compromising passengers' safety due to fatigue.

Genting Holdings must also take responsibility for this mishap for poor standards of roads heading towards and out off the resort. Our fear expressed in the last position paper submitted about the Dec 20the incident has been founded when the Aug 21 tragedy happened.

Thousands of vehicles ply the road to service the resorts and businesses there. Everyday people put their lives at stake negotiating dangerous bends and curves with almost NO visual of oncoming vehicles. The location of the accident on Aug 21 looks like such a position where oncoming vehicles cannot be seen until they are a very (very) close.

There has been also calls to re-design barriers using wire-rope barrier technology which would cushion vehicle’s impact, and then safely redirects the vehicle.

Who in Malaysia enforces safe road designs and update requirements on safety design when improved technologies are available?

The EU and North America enforces the use 'speed limiter' in commercial vehicles and has proven to be effective in addressing large vehicle accidents and loss of lives.

Standards Users represents the resentment of the general public towards all the relevant agencies, the bus operators, the highway operators and in this case the largest highlands resort operator for not being serious about improving road safety standards, commercial vehicle safety standards and compliance despite hundreds of people being injured and leaving scores dead from previous incidents.

WE DO NOT WANT ANYMORE ENQUIRY – We demand to know the outcome of the investigation and recommendations thereof into the Dec 20 2010 tragedy which claimed 28 lives when an double –decker express bus overturned coming from Cameron Highlands.
•    WHAT WERE THE CAUSES OF THE ACCIDENT AND WHAT WERE THE RECOMMENDATIONS?
•    HOW WERE THESE RECOMMENDATIONS IMPLEMENTED AND AT WHAT STAGES OF IMPLEMENTATION ARE THEY?
•    WHO OR RATHER WHICH AGENCY HAS BEEN TASKED TO OVERSEE THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS?

WE ARE NOW demanding a deadline for the implementation of recommendations by MIROS and other technically competent agencies and also non-government agencies and civil societies.

We hope we are not trying to break records for the wrong reasons such as the worst express bus tragedy in Malaysian history – which is what we said after the accident which claimed 22 lives on the fateful Aug 13, 2007 at Bukit Gantang. But then again, we just did – 37 lives this time!!!

We as users of the service now demand the following for express buses:
•    installation of travel data recorder – ‘tamper-proof’’’ , installation of GPS, Mandatory installation of speed limiters
•    Employment of qualified and certified drivers
•    ALL Buses complying with UNECE, R66, R80 and R36 and other safety requirements
•    one sole agency regulating ALL commercial vehicle specifications, road safety (for both private and commercial users), enforcing an improved Road Transport Act 1987 and legal actions based on impartial and expert input from agencies such as MIROS. Licensing, permit and safety enforcement agencies for tour buses and heavy vehicles under one agency .
•    Improved road safety conditions – enhance primary role of the barriers to prevent vehicles from careening off into traffic coming in the opposite direction or into ravines
       o   Improve integrity of road barriers, signs and construction materials
       o   Road design and construction approval based on current traveling requirements and road users. Requirements constantly improved with improved knowledge and technology
•    Accident reports accessible to interested stakeholders including civil society and non-government agencies.
       o   Currently who investigates and compiles reports of previous accidents related to express buses?
       o   Where can we as member of the general public or interested parties obtain access to accident investigations reports?       
                  How do we know if the investigations are pending or closed and solved?   
                     Investigation into root cause/s provides VERY CRUCIAL information to prevent future accidents related to express buses.
                     How do we know if lessons learnt (IF ANY) from previous investigations are implemented
       o   Without proper / in-depth investigations of auto accidents, we cannot:
                   Follow up on recommendations
                   Request for regulatory improvements
                   Request or review and change current standards for bus structures, road conditions and road use behaviours.

Datuk Dr. Marimuthu Nadason
President
Malaysian Association of Standards Users

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Written by Syikin

Category: LETTER TO EDITOR

Published: 12 June 2020

Hits: 13412

13/AUG/2015

About 22,259,374 million products recalled are those which involve infants and children.
 
The Malaysian Association of Standards Users subscribes to the US Consumer Product Safety Commission alerts. We compiled products recalled from the market from 13th September 2007 till 28th November 2008.

About 22,259,374 million products recalled are those which involve infants and children. There were 7,007,869 million products recalled which are used by consumers in general. The total number of products recalled is 29,267,243 million. . The products recalled were manufactured in 21 different countries. Most of the products recalled were manufactured in China, followed by the United States and there was one product manufactured in Malaysia.

Among the children product recalled there were 168 reports of injuries and 10 deaths. As for general consumer products there were 148 injuries and 1 death.

Standards Users and the Department of Standards Malaysia have pursued the implementation of the toy safety regulation by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs since 2002. We hear that regulation will be implemented by March 2009. Albeit this is an achievement in terms of child safety in Malaysia, we must take note that there are still many children products which do not carry marks to indicate that they are safe. These products include cribs, baby car seats, baby harness, prams and walkers.

Lack of data on the injuries or hospitalization due to the products mentioned above and the cause of injuries (negligence or unsafe products), thus can not be verified. The products mentioned above are also available at day care centers and nurseries. We must ensure that day care centres and nurseries or kindergardens have a safe environment for children.

We hope that the Ministry of Domestic Trade does not sit on implementing one regulation too long when there are still many products out there which may pose danger to young consumers in Malaysia.

We urge consumers / parents and day care center owners / managers to report any injuries caused by the use of children products to us (or the National Consumer Complaints Centre) in order for us to justify the need for new safety standards or mandatory standards to improve protection of young consumers.

Datuk Marimuthu Nadason
President

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Written by Syikin

Category: LETTER TO EDITOR

Published: 12 June 2020

Hits: 12097

05/AUG/2013

CONTAMINATION OF WHEY PROTEIN FROM NEW ZEALAND WITH BOTULISM TOXIN

The Malaysian Association of Standards Users and its members are gravely concerned with the contamination of whey protein concentrate with the notorious botulism toxin. The CDC and several other health literatures (and a known fact) states that botulism is a muscle-paralyzing disease caused by a toxin made by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. They also classify botulism into (source CDC):

•    Foodborne botulism - occurs when a person ingests pre-formed toxin that leads to illness within a few hours to days. Foodborne botulism is a public health emergency because the contaminated food may still be available to other persons besides the patient.
•    Infant botulism occurs in a small number of susceptible infants each year who harbor C. botulinum in their intestinal tract.
•    Wound botulism occurs when wounds are infected with C. botulinum that secr

About Botulism

CDC also provides information on the symptoms of foodborne botulism such as:
•    symptoms appearing between 6 hours to 10 days (most commonly between 12 and 36 hours) after eating food that contains the toxin.
o    include double vision, blurred vision, drooping eyelids, slurred speech, difficulty swallowing, dry mouth, and muscle weakness that moves down the body, usually affecting the shoulders first, then the upper arms, lower arms, thighs, calves, etc.
o    paralysis of breathing muscles can cause a person to stop breathing and die, unless assistance with breathing (mechanical ventilation) is provided.

Standards Users Concerns

Since this incident affects infant formula besides other products which uses whey protein such as yoghurt, energy drinks, biscuits etc we urge the Food Safety Quality Division to open up several 24 hours helpline than just a media release on its website and newspaper to address public concerns. Our call centers are currently flooded with enquiries and there is no helpline or enough information on the division’s website to address public concern especially parents.

We urge the ministry and the division to publish up to date information either a positive list or negative list of the products involved in this latest incident.

We also urge the division to obtain list of all Fonterra’s customers and also ensure that they do not use or have issued recalls of their products which use whey protein concentrate from Fonterra (similar to what Danone has done). It could be ice-cream or cakes or anything that uses whey protein in their formulation.

We hope that the emergency response system in FSQD and among food and beverage manufacturers and the whole supply chain in Malaysia operates efficiently following lessons learnt and improvement made after the melamine incident in 2008 – which is also associated with Fonterra Group.

Once again, this incident warrants heightened and efficient response and action due to the high risk group involved – namely children, pregnant mothers and also the elderly

Laboratory Capacity

On the same issue, we also urge the upcoming national budget for 2014 – which is expected to be tighter than past year to ensure that there is no compromise in the capacity of the Food Safety Quality Divisions role and tasks to improve food safety in Malaysia. There should be increased allocation to ensure that laboratories and well equipped with both human and materials to handle food surveillance and emergency response situation. We are a net food importing nation and the food import bill keeps swelling making us vulnerable to food safety incidents like this (botulism), melamine and tainted meat and counterfeit products.

If importing food cannot be avoided, our surveillance and emergency response mechanism must be tried and tested to ensure that it is effective all the time.

Food Security

The above does not underestimate the efforts needed to address our dependency on food import such increasing yield of local produce, making them more accessible to Malaysians, increasing agriculture land to produce food for local consumption, anticipating and addressing impacts of climate change and so on.

All those involved in food supply chain from farm to fork (including consumers) need to address issues like wastage running into thousands of tonnes a day, ensuring food safety and making food more accessible and affordable. We look forward to a effective, clear and transparent mechanism to ensure that the above is realized in the very near future rather than later.

Datuk Dr. Marimuthu Nadason
President
Malaysian Association of Standards Users