Slow down – or the morning rush hour can kill you

More people are getting into accidents on their way to work than on the way home.

Socso CEO K. Selvarajah said statistics showed that accidents involving commuters going to and returning from work had risen by 3% last year compared to 2010.

“Accidents involving those going to work make up 52% while those returning home is 48%.

“This may be because people tend to rush to avoid being late for work,” he said, adding that motorcyclists made up most of the accident victims.

“Try not to rush and always be alert while on the road,” he said after Socso's 2012 Presentation of Research on Accidents at Menara Perkeso in Kuala Lumpur on Friday.

Selvarajah also said there was a 26.5% increase in occupational diseases last year.

He said more employees were diagnosed with musculoskeletal disease, adding that this might be due to them having to sit in awkward positions for long periods or doing too much manual heavy lifting.

He added that another common occupational disease was hearing impairment caused by noise, which occurred among employees working in noisy environments.

“I urge employers to ensure that they minimize hazards in their staff's working environment.

“Be sure to provide them with protective equipment should they be required to work in noisy or potentially dangerous environments,” he said.

Selvarajah said, in an effort to avoid further increase in accidents and work-place related diseases, Socso had lined up programmes to heighten awareness on occupational safety.

“In the next quarter of the year, we will start compliance support programmes, under which we will work with small and medium industries to help identify high-risk aspects in their work places,” he said.