Dosh: Top Glove worker's cause of death still unclear

 

The cause of death for a Top Glove worker who allegedly died on the factory floor earlier this month is still unclear because the post-mortem report is still underway, said the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (Dosh).

As such the Dosh investigation is still ongoing and it cannot be claimed that the department has accepted the glovemaker's explanation on the death, Dosh director-general Zailee Dollah told Malaysiakini.

“We are still working to determine the cause of the incident based on the evidence we gathered.

“At the moment we can’t determine it yet, we really need the post-mortem report,” Zailee said when contacted.

He said the investigation commenced on Oct 5 and added that proper and complete evidence is needed for Dosh to complete its investigation paper and determine any further action.

He clarified that there are laws that compel employers to report work-related deaths.

“Sometimes, there are perceptions by employers that this is not a work-related (death), so they didn’t report,” he said.

Hence, Zailee said, Dosh would need to conduct investigations to determine whether a worker’s death is work-related or not.

“If it’s work-related, and they didn’t report, then that’s an offence. That’s why this incident (at Top Glove) is uncertain, and the post-mortem report will be very important to us,” he said.

He did not confirm whether Dosh received information on the death from Top Glove.

He said they received information from their Selangor branch and subsequently took action.

“No matter what, it’s good that we received information like this, so we can conduct the investigation to get evidence on what exactly happened there,” he said.

Dosh Selangor director Bahrudin Mamat confirmed with Malaysiakini that his department sent its officers to the factory to conduct an investigation last week.

He added a media statement will be issued and is pending approval from the Ministry of Human Resources.

On Oct 3, a Nepali worker was allegedly found dead at one of the rubber glove manufacturer factories in Klang, Selangor during his shift, according to migrant worker rights specialist Andy Hall.

The worker, Tamang Puspa, was the third death recorded at Top Glove factories within three months. - Mkini