OSHCIM Implementation Readiness from the Perspective of Designers and Contractors in Malaysia Construction Industry

DOSH Malaysia has developed Guidelines on Occupational Safety and Health in Construction Industry (Management) 2017 (OSHCIM) based on “Prevention through Design” concept, where clients, designers, contractors, competent persons, and other stakeholders shall work together. This study aims to determine the readiness of designers and contractors on OSHCIM implementation. Questionnaires and interviews were adopted to collect individual’s perception and to measure on both the designers and contractors’ adherence to OSHCIM practices. The results shown that there is a statistically significant difference between the designers and contractors’ views on "Prevention through Design". In general, the designers exhibited a lower mean score compared to the contractors, especially in areas related to safety, cost, damages, and flawed design. This evinced that designers seem reluctant to synthesize the OSHCIM concept in their designs. Likewise, the contractor scored 3.45 out of 4, manifested the receptiveness of OSHCIM implementation could improve the coordination between the client and other parties. In contrast, the designers could barely obtained a lower of 3.03. Designers seem to be less convinced compared to the contractor on OSHCIM implementation which could improve the coordination between client, designer, and contractor.