CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION

1.0 Introduction

Existing legislation in Malaysia does not provide specific definition to work at

height. The Work at Height Regulations 2005 (WAHR) in United Kingdom defined
work at height as work in any place where, including a place at or below ground level
and obtaining access to or egress from such place while at work, except by a staircase
in permanent workplace, where, if measures require by these Regulations were not
taken, a person could fall a distance liable to cause personal injury. The definition
includes work in or on an elevated place of work, for example on a ladder or a flat
roof, from which a person could fall, in the vicinity of an opening through which a
person could fall, in the vicinity of an edge over which a person could fall and in any
other place (whether above or below ground), for example fall through a fragile
surface, from which a person could fall, from one level to another. It is noteworthy
that a distance liable to cause personal injury is not prescribed in this interpretation.

According Factory and Machinery Act 1967, Safety, Health and Welfare
Regulation 12 Working at Height, where any person is required to work at a place from
which he will be liable to fall a distance of more than ten feet, means shall be provided
to ensure his safety and such means shall where practicable include the use of safety
belts or ropes.

In 2007, Department Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) implemented

guideline for the Prevention of Falls at Workplaces, where these guidelines are
primarily aimed at the building operation and work of an engineering construction, in
relation to the design, building, maintenance and demolition of structures, it also has
application to a wide range of work situations where workers are placed in a position
from which falls are possible. Where a fall from any height could result in harm, some

1
sort of fall protection should be used. Fall protection shall be supplied and used in any
place where an employee is at risk of a fall of 2 meters or more. The employer can
select the fall protection method that is most compatible with the type of work being
carried out.

Falling from height is one of the major contributions to workplace injuries and
fatalities. It is vital to do risk assessment by utilizing the right equipment in order to
reduce such risk. Having an appropriate safe work procedure for working at height,
together with equipment such as safety harness and rope access when executing the
task or having a working at height rescue plan prepared in advance.

In Malaysia, when comes to roof work there will be high risk activity while
working at height. In construction industry, factories of the roof, warehouses and office
buildings where solar installation and maintenance are done. Fragile things within the
roof such as skylights, corroded metal sheets are the few factors. Fragile roof accidents
can be avoided and reduce the chance through establishing working at height safety
procedure.

2
1.1 Problem Background

Working at height accident are leading indicator of fatalities incident happen

in Malaysia. According to Department of Statistics, 62.8 per cent of occupational
accidents are caused by three sorts of accidents, specifically Falls of persons (7,885
accidents, 88 deaths), Stepping on, striking against or struck by objects, including
falling objects (7,285 accidents, 84 deaths) and other types of unclassified accidents
(5,351 accidents, 21 deaths). The majority of these accidents are caused by the working
environment, means of transport and lifting equipment, and machinery.

Figure 1.1: Occupational Accidents by Type of Accident & Cause of Accident, 2020

Solar panel installation activity also contributes in the fall of persons accident statistic.
To date, the latest fatalities case involving solar panel installation activity occurred on
9th September 2021 at Nebong Tebal, Pulau Pinang. Victim founded dead at ground
floor after falling from height cause by stepping on skylight roof. The fatality case is
still under investigation of Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH),
however notice of prohibition has been issued by DOSH according to section 15(1)
Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 due to fail to ensure the safety, health and
welfare at work of all his employees.

3
1.2 Problem Statement

Many workplaces especially construction industries while doing roof work

possess high risk activity, which can lead to fatalities cases if the activities not properly
control. According to Department of Occupational Safety & Health (DOSH), there
were classified into six types of accidents in identifying the causes of fatalities in the
Malaysian construction industry. One of the causes is falling from height which
contribute 145 cases of fatal accidents in construction sites of Malaysia inside a period
of 5 years (2013-2018). According to SOCSO 2007 reports in “Person falling” there
are 13417 reported cases with 228 reported fatalities. Descriptive analysis of the 145
cases was conducted for the frequency of the accidents and their causes.

Chi (2014) stated that falls from height are found to be the leading cause of
fatalities in the construction industry in many parts of the world. This statement
supported by Abdul Halim (2019) saying that falling from heights has the highest
occurrence in the period of 2013 to 2018 in Malaysia with 63 fatalities or 43%.
According to Infrastructure Health & Safety Association (2018), one of the biggest
hazards faced by workers installing rooftop Photovoltaic systems is the danger of
falling.

Therefore, this research is to determine contributing factors of WAH SOP

negligence, to analyze awareness of WAH SOP and to propose improvement of WAH
safety awareness among solar panel installer. This research will benefit managerial
team and safety officer, safety and Health Committee to cater the problem of non
compliance working at height SOP among installer. Besides, the research can
contribute knowledge in literature regarding safety awareness of working at height
during solar panel installation

4
1.3 Conceptual Framework

A conceptual framework is a written or visual representation of an expected

relationship between variables. Working at height safety awareness programmed
among solar panel installer still low due to combination of individual and employers
influences. Individual influences have been classified in demographic characteristic
and attitude & belief of the workers, while employers influences are classified both on
training and supervision.

Figure 1.2: Conceptual Framework

1.4 Research Objectives

The objectives of the research as follows:

(a) To determine contributing factors of WAH SOP negligence among solar panel
installer.

(b) To analyze awareness of WAH SOP among solar panel installer.

(c) To propose improvement of WAH safety awareness among solar panel

installer.

5
1.5 Research Questions

To achieve the above research objectives, the following research questions (RQ) are
used. The main research questions of this project are:

a) Which contributing factors give influence on WAH SOP negligence among

solar panel installer?

b) How does the awareness among solar panel installer toward WAH SOP?

c) How to improve WAH safety awareness among solar panel installer?

1.6 Significant of Study

The literature on safety awareness working at height activity in solar panel

installer industries is limited in numbers, so that the data is not readily available.
Therefore, this research can develop knowledge for existing scholarly resources,
specifically in working at height compliance in solar panel industries. The information
gained from this study will allow the top management, safety officer and safety and
health committee to understand the importance of safety awareness on working at
height activity among solar panel installers. We are addressing the need to develop an
effective safety awareness on working at height during solar panel installation in the
company for reducing the exposure of hazards and risk at the workplace in the solar
energy industry.

1.7 Scope and Limitation of the Research

To achieve the objective of this paper, the project will be targeted respondent
among panel installer and managerial team who are working in solar industry of Johor
and Pulau Pinang state. However, several limitations possibly affect the project result
due to limited past research in safety awareness working at height in solar industry and
time limitation to do research which cause insufficient data collection from others solar
installer company.

6
 CHAPTER 2

LITERATURE REVIEW

2.1 Introduction

This chapter will describe the contributing factors of working at height safety
awareness program among solar panel installer. This chapter is organized by reviewing
the level and influences of individual and employer in WAH safety awareness among
solar and any others related industries population. For individual influences, The
definition of working at Height program will be also briefly explained in this chapter.

2.2 Safety Awareness of Working at Height Program

Working at height program is aimed to prevent workplace injuries, illness and

deaths by implementing a work-positioning system either prevents a fall hazard being
reach (fall restraint) or enables a person to work supported in tension in a way that
prevents a person from falling (fall arrest).

Figure 2.1: Difference of fall restraint and fall arrest

7
 However, the level of safety awareness for WAH program in the workplace
still low especially in management level. This is supported by the statement of Ezzat
Othman (2012) which stated that non-conformance with H&S regulations is contribute
by the lack of commitment by management, poor leadership by safety officer, and lack
awareness by management and client. Jamalullah et. al (2018) also said main factors
contributing to non-compliance to the OSH regulations are lack of management
commitment.

The lack of management involvement or noncompliance in safety program can

give great impact on the readiness of safety in workplace. Hamid et. al (2019) stated
that non-compliance is normally related to failure to execute safety practices,
insufficient provision of safe access, lack of risk control and working in dangerous
situation. The results of the research showed that the most common causes of fall
accidents from the engineers and workers points of view were working on heights
without fencing, choosing unskilled workers to work on heights and execute the works
without fall prevention safety equipment (Maliha, 2018).

2.3 Individual Influences

2.3.1 Demographic Characteristic

In this study, the influence of demographic characteristic in safety awareness

will be elaborated include: knowledge, skills and experience which are very important
in order to prevent workplace accident. The results of the research showed that the
most common causes of fall accidents from the engineers and workers points of view
were working on choosing unskilled workers to work on heights and execute the works
without fall prevention safety equipment (Maliha, 2018). This statement is supported
by Jamalullah et. al. (2018) which stated that one of the main factors contributing to
non-compliance to the OSH is the lack knowledge. Besides, research by Z’gambo
(2015) also agreed that higher education has significant different with the use of PPE
in contrast with no education by found that the proportion of welders reporting to use
PPE increased with an increase in work experience.

8
2.3.2 Attitude & Belief

Safety awareness in working at height program also influence by the attitude

and belief of employee. In this study, the factor will be categories in self efficacy,
barriers to PPE and Behavior-Based Safety (BBS). Kang et. al. (2017) found that more
than 80% of fall accidents occurred from a height of less than 9.1 m (30 ft), and only
11% of fall accident victims were properly equipped with fall protection. This
statement supported by Abdul Hamid (2008) which stated that dominating cause of
accidents are workers negligence, failure to obey work procedures as well as incorrect
work procedure etc. Research by Halabi et. al. (2022) also emphasized that the
proportion of fall accidents increased substantially, and there was egregious evidence
that the usage of fall protection has no considerable improvement.

2.4 Employer Influences

2.4.1 Training

Employer influence on safety awareness of WAH program will be discussed

in this study. Training is one of the matters that influence compliance of safety program
which include awareness training, refresher training and safety program. This
statement supported by Evanoff et. al. (2016) research which found growing evidence
that worksite safety can be improved by fall prevention training. Jamalullah et. al.
(2018) also agreed that the main factors contributing to non-compliance to the OSH
regulations are lack of training, knowledge and supervision.

2.4.2 Supervision

Supervision by employer is on the influence that possibly give impact on safety

awareness of working at height program. Jamalullah et. al. (2018) study result shows
that the main factors contributing to non-compliance to the OSH regulations are lack
of training, knowledge and supervision. Research conducted by Lim et. al. (2021)
suggests to employ safety experts to support foreign workers which will help the
foreign worker to enhance their safety awareness under safety expert supervision.

9
Besides, study by Zierold (2016) shows that 2.87% of worker felt they received
sufficient supervision at work. This study shows that workers are well aware on the
importance of supervision and how supervisors are perceived in the workplace may be
significant in creating a safety culture that leaves a lasting impression (Zierold, 2016).

10
 CHAPTER 3

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

3.1 Introduction

This chapter is about research methodologies by explaining both design and

research technique chosen in order to collect appropriate data. Besides, this chapter
also will discuss the research methodology based on research objective and research
question constructed. Research methodology is the methods and techniques to produce
evidence to support the conclusion at the end of this study. Distribution of pilot survey
at research’s population and sampling prior to data collection will be given priority.
Finally, the focus will be on presenting the data analysis process.

3.2 Research Design

Research design is the vital part and needed to be planned and carry out in the
systematic ways in order to get the relationship of safety awareness compliance on
manufacturing worker with the contributing factors discussed in literature review. The
method approach will be used is descriptive quantitative methods. The population and
sampling for this research will be focused on solar panel installer and managerial level
of solar industries that present fall from heigh hazard in Johor and Penang state. In the
table 3.1, research methods and data analysis techniques were used to develop the
operational framework in figure 3.1.

11
 Table 3.1: Proposed research design

Research
Research Objective Research Question
No Instrument / Data Analysis
(RO) (RQ)
Methodology
Which contributing
To determine
factors give
contributing factors
influence on WAH • Frequency
1 of WAH SOP Questionnaires
SOP negligence • Analysis
negligence among
among solar panel
solar panel installer.
installer?
• Mean
To analyze How does the
• Ranking and
awareness of WAH awareness among Questionnaires
2 Rating
SOP among solar solar panel installer Site Observation
panel installer. toward WAH SOP? • Opinions from
site observation
To propose
How to improve • Respondents’
improvement of Questionnaires
WAH safety response
3 WAH safety Past journals
awareness among • Finding from past
awareness among review
solar panel installer? journal review
solar panel installer.

12
3.3. Operational Framework

Figure 3.1: Research Flow Chart

13
3.4. Gantt Chart of Research Activities

MAR '22

AUG '22

SEPT '22

NOV' 22
MAY'22
APR '22

JUN '22

OCT '22

DEC '22
JAN '22

FEB '22

JUL '22
RESEARCH ACTIVITIES

Construct problem statement,

research objective & question

Primary data & Literature review

Construct the research flow chart

Research design
Questionnaire construct
Questionnaire item validity
Questionnaire send out to
respondants
Questionnaire Collection
Data analysis
Data interpretation

Conclusion & Recommendations

Figure 3.2: Research Gantt Chart

14
 REFERENCES

Abdul Hamid, A. R., Abd Majid, M. Z., & Singh , B. (2008). Causes of accidents at
Construction Sites. Malaysian Journal of Civil Engineering, 20(2), 242–259.

Evanoff, B., Dale, A. M., Zeringue, A., Fuchs, M., Gaal, J., Lipscomb, H. J., &
Kaskutas, V. (2016). Results of a fall prevention educational intervention for
residential construction. Safety Science, 89, 301–307.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2016.06.019

Fall accident causes and prevention in the construction ... (n.d.). Retrieved January
12, 2022, from https://library.iugaza.edu.ps/thesis/124627.pdf

Halabi, Y., Xu, H., Long, D., Chen, Y., Yu, Z., Alhaek, F., & Alhaddad, W. (2022).
Causal factors and risk assessment of fall accidents in the U.S. Construction
Industry: A comprehensive data analysis (2000–2020). Safety Science, 146,
105537. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssci.2021.105537

Hamid1, A. R. A., Razak1, A. R. A., Yusof1, A. M., Jaya2, R. P., Zakaria1, R.,
Aminudin1, E., Anuar1, M. A. S. K., Yahya1, K., Haron1, Z., Yunus3, R., &
Rashid1, I. A. (2019, January 1). Noncompliance of the occupational safety and
health legislation in the Malaysian construction industry . IOP Conference
Series: Earth and Environmental Science. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from
https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/1755-1315/220/1/012043

Iwuoha, G., Anochie, Chikwe, C., & NwokeEunice., A. (1970, January 1). [PDF]
occupational hazards and use of personal protective equipment among small
scale welders in Owerri North LGA, Imo State, Nigeria: Semantic scholar.
[PDF] Occupational Hazards and use of Personal Protective Equipment among
Small Scale welders in Owerri North LGA, Imo State, Nigeria | Semantic
Scholar. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from
https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Occupational-Hazards-and-use-of-
Personal-Protective-Iwuoha-
Anochie/4870bdf3fba7e434b8a50d34bac70e32162aec3a

Jamalullah, S. N., Ahmad Rashid, Z. Z., Hanafi, M. H., Md Ulang, N., Mehdi Riazi,
S. R., & Mohd Nawi, M. N. (2019). Factors of non-compliance with
occupational, health and safety legal requirements among Malaysian
contractors. MyJurnal MOHE. Retrieved January 12, 2022, from
https://myjurnal.mohe.gov.my/public/article-view.php?id=126792

Kang, Y., Siddiqui, S., Suk, S. J., Chi, S., & Kim, C. (2017). Trends of fall accidents
in the U.S. Construction Industry. Journal of Construction Engineering and
Management, 143(8), 04017043. https://doi.org/10.1061/(asce)co.1943-
7862.0001332

15
Lim, J., Son, K., Park, C., & Kim, D. (2021). Suggestions for improving South Korea’s
Fall Accidents Prevention Technology in the construction industry: Focused on
analyzing laws and programs of the United States. Sustainability, 13(8), 4254.
https://doi.org/10.3390/su13084254

Othman, A. A. (2012). A study of the causes and effects of contractors' non-

compliance with the health and safety regulations in the South African
Construction Industry. Architectural Engineering and Design Management,
8(3), 180–191. https://doi.org/10.1080/17452007.2012.683242

Zierold, K. M. (2015). Perceptions of supervision among injured and non-injured teens

working in the retail or service industry. Workplace Health & Safety, 64(4), 152–
162. https://doi.org/10.1177/2165079915608858

16