IPOH, Perak: Police have advised employers to give firm instructions to their workers to be more careful when handling sharp tools to ensure the safety of road users.
Perak police chief, Datuk Noor Hisam Nordin, said the measure was important to prevent unfortunate incidents as equipment such as sickles, hoes or machetes are not categorised as scheduled weapons, allowing them to be carried freely for daily use.
“From our side, we can advise these employers to instruct their staff or workers to be more mindful of their own safety as well as the safety of other road users.
“So if it is said that action should be taken from the legal aspect, I think it has not yet reached that stage,” he told reporters here on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the Malaysian Society for Occupational Safety and Health (MSOSH) urged authorities to investigate and take firm action against the employer involved in the incident that claimed the life of a student in Teluk Intan after he was struck by a long-handled sickle carried by another motorcyclist.
Two days ago, local media reported that Adham Faisal, 18, a student of Teluk Intan Agricultural Vocational College, died after his neck was slashed by a long-handled sickle while the motorcycle he was riding collided with another motorcycle carrying the tool at Batu 4, Kampung Selabak, Teluk Intan.
The victim’s 17-year-old friend, however, only suffered injuries to his hand and is currently receiving further treatment. Following the incident, police detained two Indonesian men aged 39 and 52 to assist in the investigation.
Meanwhile, Noor Hisam said preliminary investigations found elements of negligence by the individual carrying the equipment as the oil palm sickle was transported in a manner that endangered third parties.
“In the incident, we have already arrested the suspect and the suspect is still under investigation, but from what we can see, there were indeed elements of negligence by the plantation worker,” he said.
He added that further investigations are being carried out from various angles, including the travel document status of the suspects, who are foreigners, under the provisions of the Immigration Act. — BERNAMA
