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< FACULTY >

SEPTEMBER 2012

OUMH2203

ENGLISH FOR WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION

MATRICULATION NO. :

IDENTITY CARD NO. :

TELEPHONE NO. :

E-MAIL :

LEARNING CENTRE :

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ENGLISH FOR WORKPLACE COMMUNICATION OUMH2203

A REPORT REGARDING WITH THE IGNORANCE OF SAFETY REGULATIONS AT THE

MATERIAL AND HANDLING DEPARTMENT OF THE SHOE FACTORY AT PANTAI

MANIS PAPAR BRANCH

Prepared for:

The Managing Director,

Tingkat 2-4, Block B,

Wisma KOSAN Likas,

KM 7 Jalan Tuaran,

Locked Bag No. 89,

88992 Kota Kinabalu

Sabah.

By:

Mastura bte Abd Hamid,

The Occupational Health Manager,

KM 5, Jalan Pantai Manis,

Locked Bag No. 4,

89609 Papar,

Sabah.

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1. INTRODUCTION

Workplace health and safety can be a challenge, so awareness of occupational safety and health

is the most basic thing that each working person must possess. This awareness will indirectly

induce an employee to be more attentive and concerned about unsafe working such work

activity. The government outlines few key strategic thrusts through the 10 th Malaysian Plan

(2010) and one of them is creating conducive environment for unleashing economic growth

which will guarantee the safety of workers as well as boost their morale to give full commitment

to their employers and companies. This will then contribute to the reduction in accident rates in

the employment sector and increase the rate of national productivity and efficiency. With the

attainment of this end, Malaysia will be on the right track in achieving the status of a high

income country by 2020.

Work environment includes some factors, which either contributes positively or

negatively to achieving maximum employee productivity (Elywood, 1999). In order to fulfil the

nations dream come true, industrial manufactures are urged to ensure workplace environment to

be improved as it will enhance productivity. We cannot measure the effectiveness of a job design

without the knowledge of the working environment in which the design is place it is part of total

picture. The factors which either contributes positively or negatively to employee productivity

are temperature, humidity and air flow, noise, lighting, employee personal aspects, contaminants

and hazards in the working environment, types of sub environment. Therefore the employees

safety should be taken aware in line with the principle of the Occupational Safety and Health

Act, 1994 (2006).

In this report, it is hoped that the purpose will be given attention and understood as the

approval to this report will be a milestone to improve the present environment faced as well as

carry out the suggested actions in the proposal promptly in order to have a continuum production

without interrupting the previous plan and schedule. By doing so, the factorys environment will

be upgraded and the safeness to all workforces will be standardised in order to enhance

productivity and profitable income with demands from various sectors within the states.

1.1 PURPOSE OF REPORT

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The purpose of this report is to highlight the above matter to the Managing Director to foresee

the problems occurred at the Material and Handling department of the branch outlet and to

recommend the suggested possible measures that should be considered in order to improve the

safety standard of the workers and the workplace itself. Protection of workers safety and healthshould be of prime concern to employers as workers are at risk of exposing themselves to various

kind of hazard that exist because of the nature of work involved. As an Occupational Health

Manager, it is my responsibility to prepare the Occupational and Safety standards of the

company with prior knowledge to the Managing Director within this report.

For the Managing Directors information, I had been on a tour to the factory recently to

inspect the safeness of the environment at the Material and Handling department. After the

survey was done, I discovered that operators were blatantly ignoring the safety regulation, someof them have poor attitudes towards other fellow workmates and few regarded the regulations as

normal routine as if they were in no danger at all. Action should be promptly taken of before any

mishap would happen and put their lives in danger. Safety regulations in the workplace need to

be in place in order to assure workers that they are cared for. In this report, I would certainly

hope that my proposal would be to your fully attention and will be positively given the approval

with permission to implement them without delay to ensure that no incident would happen as

prevention is better than cure.

1.2 PROPOSAL

As mentioned above, I would like to propose a few changes to ensure that the department in the

shoe factory will be a more conducive workplace for the workers and the possible actions that

should be taken promptly are to set up an up-to-date safety regulations, standardise rules to be

followed, safety risk assessment schedule, discipline manners and proper protective equipment to

be worn during working hours as well as workshops and motivations to the workers. Should the

managing Director agrees with this proposal, I am sure the department at the shoe factory will be

a satisfactory outlet that will produce high quality and standard products before they are sent for

marketing. It is also my responsibility to make the workplace safe for the workers, so that

accident risks are prevented and to ensure they are at ease during working hours.

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2. THE FACTORY PRESENT SITUATION

KOSAN orKoperasi Serbaguna Sanya Berhad, is a multi-purpose co-operative society.

It has a branch outlet in Papar which is the sole manufacturer of shoes in Sabah. Its core business

is to produce white canvas shoes and now, it is in full production to cope with the demand from

local sectors as well as from neighbouring states. It is located at Jalan Pantai Manis, three and a

half miles from Papar town. It occupies a five acres site and it costs about five million to set up

the project. Being a member of the State Co-operative Coordinating Committee, Pantai Manis

KOSAN branch receives the assistance and guidance for their various multi-million projects. It

has also implemented countless projects introduced by the government over the years and this

has spawned job opportunities for the young generations in the district especially school leavers.

Since 1980, the performance of the workers was successful as hundreds of different kinds

of shoes have been anticipated to cater for the needs of the demanding sectors. Sabah Foundation

is one of the major clients for the need of supply of canvas shoes which are to be distributed

freely to all the local students in Sabah. KOSAN signed a 10-year contract with the government

in 2008 to supply these shoes to all primary students in the state. Besides that, there are also

some request and demands from neighbouring states like Brunei as well as West Malaysian, so it

is an advantage for the factory to supply shoes of high quality to the demanding states.

As mentioned above, the performance of the workers over the years made the districts

economic growth and proud besides being the sole local supplier of shoes in the state. The

factory produces up to 300,000 pairs of shoes on one shift operation per year. These shoes are

then packed and sent to the headquarters to be distributed according to the number of demands in

the marketplace. Formed under the Co-operative Act, this factory became the vehicle through

which youths who are members of SANYA (Sabah National Youth Association) could directly

participate in business opportunities provided by the government. The factory is constantly

upgrading the skills of its employees and investing in better technologies. Ironically, the factory

still needs improvement for better workplace and high attitude workforces which are problems

seen in some parts of the department and should be handled promptly. Anticipation of handling

these problems may make high quality production and increases profit when workers attitude

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turns positively during working hours. Nevertheless, these things would not happen if problems

are not handled.

3. THE PROBLEMS INVOLVED

Problems at the workplace are inevitable and understanding them is very important in order to

solve them. Sometimes, the problems are obvious, such as employees attitude or discipline

manners, employees safeness and ignorance of rules. Other times, the workplace itself harbours

the problem and we might not know the cause of it, thus creating a problem that needs solving.

They have to be dealt with tact and understanding. Therefore it is a need to identify the critical

ones, analyse and bring improvement on the performance. In other to make the workplace as adesired workplace for the workers, patience is a need and making a swift and effective actions

are better to stave off a major complicated situation. That is what needed to enhance the

production of the shoe factory at Pantai Manis branch outlet, so a survey was conducted at the

material and handling department. After the survey was conducted, I found out that the problems

encountered had caused a minor stress and unhappy air to the workers thus neglecting some

safety rules regulations. The problems encountered were:

i) Improper equipment

ii) Disorder arrangement and placement of materials

iii) Poor workers attitude

iv) Workplace environment

3.1 Improper Equipment

Workers use materials, chemicals, tools and machines to produce the different kinds of shoes.

Yet some of them are not properly equipped with things that they should have or do, like wearing

gloves, masks all the time and none of them wear earplugs. They do not have uniforms and no

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proper footwear. Working without proper equipment during operating the machines are

dangerous too as workers are exposed to dangers. They should wear safety equipment in order to

prevent any unexpected accidents prone happen especially at the finishing area. Chemicals from

leaks or spills may make workers attires get burn and so they scald. Malfunction of machineswhile sewing or miscalculation while cutting with sharp knives might occur at unexpected time.

If ever such situation happens, accident risks might happen, like getting scald, cut from sharp

tools or pricked from pointed needles, so wearing proper equipment can save workers from the

risks. Besides that, wearing masks can help workers from inhaling dust while packaging

materials and having wear earplugs will help them from noise pollution.

3.2 Disorder arrangement and placement of materials

The materials at the shoe factory are not stacked in proper places while the machines are not in

orderly arranged. The materials used are placed everywhere and are not arranged but disorderly

placed. Baskets are put here and there and the cut leathers are placed in a large open cabinet-like

which are exposed to flame. At the sewing area, there are workers personal things like

umbrellas and bags placed near the machines where they sit. At the assembling shoe area, the

materials are scattered on the table near the sewing machine and the ready-cut insole are placed

on shelves which can fall at any time during emergency. If the layouts of the area are properly

arranged, it would leads to a better condition and the workers would feel relieve. This is because

layout affects productivity and efficiency of material handling, time and throughput.

Arrangement of machines, materials and work areas could make process run smoothly,

eliminating all delays possible and provide efficient operations. In other words, arrangements

must be made to ensure safety and health in the use, handling or storage of products.

3.3 Poor workers attitude

Workers poor attitude is also one factor that contributes minor problem but can affects the

process of shoe manufacturing at the factory. Negative attitude of some workers made the others

felt unpleasant, thus bad feeling occurred and led to anger outburst among them. This was

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because few workers steal time off from working and let others finished the work. Conflict

occurred among them which resulted to the interruption of continuous process. Besides that,

there were also those who are in state of restlessness, despair and weariness. These changes of

negative attitude made them had bad feelings with others. Such situation made few responsibleworkers approached and asked for solution to problems faced and that made me had the tour to

the involved department. Factory workers should be able to work as a team and get along with

others and handling bad feelings among workers is one great task to be done. They should co-

operate among others to maintain positive attitude especially in packaging the finished product

before they are sent for marketing in order to achieve the factorys goal.

3.4 Workplace Environment

The workplace environment at the material and handling department looks less conducive. The

place needs reorganisation of arrangements and cleanliness. During the survey, I found out that

heaps of unwanted used materials are still kept at some corner, making the workplace looks in a

mess. There are no ventilation fans to let airflow and that made some workers look tired as there

is not much oxygen in the environment. The place is dusty too and there are cut threads and

materials on the floor as the workers are busy with their own activity at their own section. So

these matters expose the workers to harmful and unhealthy situation that might lead to some

healthy problems. Safety rules regulations should be attached in order for the workers to see

what they should do and dont. These safety regulations not only offer workers a safer

working environment, it saves time, work, business and money. If the workers follow the safety

rules, productivity may increases because workforce is more stable as the workers are focus with

their work.

4. CONCLUSIONS

The high quality production of the KOSAN shoe factory at Pantai Manis depends on the

workforces attitude and their safety as well as the workplaces environment. Safety rules

regulations, workshop and motivation are needed in order for the workers to stay alert and focus

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during the working shift hours especially handling or operating machines. Conducive

environment is a must to ensure the workers healthiness and easiness. In order to improve the

situation at the department involved and having thought of ways to handle problems

encountered, changes and recommendations are needed to upgrade the department, so that thefactorys goal will be successfully achieved.

4.1 THE NEED TO BE CHANGES AND RECOMMENDATIONS

At present, the workers at the KOSAN shoe factory branch outlet do not have uniforms. Only a

few of them wear gloves but none of them wear masks and earplugs. The department should

introduce a brand uniform for the workers to wear as image that shows to consumers the pride,responsibility and teamwork are happening at the factory. Wearing a uniform can also develop

standard identity as well as presentable appearance of the workers. Wearing gloves, masks,

earplugs and standardise footwear like sneakers or boots are safer for the workers too as wearing

them can make them easily move if there are emergencies happen. It is also easy for them to

move between corners where there are materials and machines arranged in order, for the use in

production of shoes demand.

As mentioned earlier, a healthy environment for a shoe factory will make workers feel at

ease as it looks neat and hygienic. Arranging materials in orderly will make the department site

look spacious. Moreover, arranging materials use to different segments will help the workers

easily look, take, use or keep them after use without difficulty. I think it is time for the factory to

have a change in the arrangement and storing materials and products before they are to be

commercial. It is also a need to maintain the cleanliness and conduciveness of the area before,

during and after working hours.

Workers attitude is also needed to change in order to achieve the factorys goal.

Workers attitude plays an important theme in performance that appraises focus. Respecting each

other is the most important factor to maintain quality of friendship that leads to achievement. For

this to happen, motivation is needed to refresh the workers mind and to regain self-

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consciousness and integrity. I need to improve the workers performance, so that their attitude

will also improve as well.

All in all, there is a need of changes to the workplace environment. The involved

department should be renovated into a more conducive situation. Dividing the department into

sections accordingly can make it looks spacious and easy for the workers to move around to their

own section respectively. In doing this initiative, I am sure the problems encountered will be

solved as well as upgrading the factory. Conducive environment is very important as it

influences the workers ability and mood effectively, so it needs to be supportive and

stimulating.

4.2 RECOMMENDATIONS

Accidents occur unannounced, so it is very important to be prepared for such mishaps and

workplace safety is an important aspect. The following recommendations should help improve

the condition occurred at the material and handling department in order to meet the needs of the

workers.

The workplace should be kept clean of any clutter. Appropriate places should be assigned

for storing or keeping materials used. Not only will this prevent unwanted accidents but it

will also increase the productivity of the workers.

The workers should be given clear instructions about their task. Ensure that the workers

have proper training to perform the task. Safety instructions should be included wherever

possible.

Regular maintenance program should be conducted once a week. Machinery that has

undergone wear and tear should be repaired or replaced immediately.

There should be exit drills or fire drills hold regularly. This is to ensure the workers are

well aware where safety equipment is stored or where to go when any danger situation

breaks out. Every worker should know where the fire extinguishers have been fixed and

know how to use them.

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Laws of Malaysia AC 514: Occupational Safety & Health Act 1994. (2006). The Commissioner

of Law Revision Malaysia. Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.

Tenth Malaysian Plan 2011 2015. (2010). The Economic Planning Unit Prime Ministers

Department. Putrajaya.

Thesis:

Siti Farah Nadiah bte Taib. (2007). Design of an Improved Production Layout for a Shoe Making

Factory: A case study of a Company. University Teknologi Malaysia.

Journals:

Rajeshwar Bali. (1967). Workers Attitude to Work Volume 3. Pp 183 192. Shri Ram Centre.

Websites:

http://www.buzzle.com/articles/safety-regulations-in-the-workplace.html

http://www3.citadel.edu/hr/emp_relate/erprobinworkplace.htm

APPENDIX
http://www.buzzle.com/articles/safety-regulations-in-the-workplace.htmlhttp://www3.citadel.edu/hr/emp_relate/erprobinworkplace.htmhttp://www.buzzle.com/articles/safety-regulations-in-the-workplace.htmlhttp://www3.citadel.edu/hr/emp_relate/erprobinworkplace.htm

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Picture 1: The Shoe Factory at Jalan Pantai Manis Papar

Picture 2: The Canvas shoes

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Picture 3: A worker at the sewing section

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