Inculcate Maintenance, Efficient Service Culture - Lee

KUALA LUMPUR, May 20 (Bernama) -- Government departments, agencies and the private sector must adopt and implement the culture of maintenance and efficient service in line with the principle of integrity to ensure public convenience and safety, the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health said Sunday.

Its chairman Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said recent incidences of defects in new government buildings with regard to leaking pipes and ceiling collapse, including a leaking roof in Parliament House, are matters of embarrassment.

"These unpleasant occurrences in poor maintenance and lack of ethics are issues affecting health and safety at workplaces which must not be overlooked," he said in a statement.

Lee said workplaces with 40 or more employees are required by law to establish safety and health committees to discuss and implement accident prevention programmes.

"It's time for everyone to curb the Malaysian malaise clearly manifested in inferior work quality, poor management and maintenance," he said.

"Maintenance and service have never been the country's forte. We are good at providing state-of-the-art buildings and equipment but when it comes to maintaining and making them function properly we have many weaknesses," he said.

Lee said poor maintenance of public buildings and infrastructures such as public toilets, children's playgrounds, drains and roads could lead to accidents and injuries.

"All authorities and every Malaysian must inculcate the maintenance culture and make it part of our lives.

"Improving a country's image is not solely the government's responsibility but also the duty of every civic-minded citizen," he added.

-- BERNAMA