In Malaysia, DOSH has been parked under the Ministry of Human Resources for decades, yet ironically, workplace safety is rarely treated as an HR-driven function. In most projects and factories, HSE still sits in a silo under operations or engineering, even though safety is fundamentally about people.
This disconnect is one of the reasons safety culture remains inconsistent across industries.
When I was involved in the KLCC project, part of the Safety portfolio was placed under HR when I was the HR Manager. It worked surprisingly well. HR handled workmen compensation, insurance, legal compliance, liaison with DOSH and authorities, and even visitor management where safety protocols mattered.
All safety induction, awareness and competency programmes were integrated into the ISO framework under Resource Management.
It created a holistic system where :
- safety wasn’t just compliance,
- HR ensured competencies and culture, and
- operations executed technical controls.
Looking back, the model actually solved a structural issue we still see today.
How can this be improved nationwide?
1. Integrate HSE with HR instead of isolating it.
Dual reporting to HR + Project/Operations eliminates silos and aligns safety with human capital.
2. Make HR the anchor for training, induction, certification and ISO competency requirements.
Safety culture starts with people, not paperwork.
3. Treat safety as part of Human Capital Protection, not just technical compliance.
Globally, safety sits under human development not merely engineering.
4. Create stronger coordination between DOSH, CIDB, DOE etc.
5. Fragmented oversight leads to inconsistent implementation.
Malaysia has the regulations. What we need now is integration between ministries, departments, and especially within organisations.
Because at the end of the day, safety is not about reports, audits or equipment - It’s about people going home safely every single day.
And no one understands people better than HR.
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