THE ISSUE OF SAFETY AND HEALTH IN EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTIONS: WITH REFERENCE TO LAWS AND PRACTICES IN MALAYSIA

Safety and health is a diverse subject, but essentially and it is based on one core principle, namely preventing harm and danger. And that means keeping people safe and healthy. Safety and health can also be defined as a freedom from hazard, protection from or not being exposed to the risk of harm or injury, inability to cause or result in harm, injury, or damage, and in terms of a place it is a place where damage or harm is very unlikely. Educational institutions which includes schools and universities should provide a safe and healthy environment for all. There are various forms of safety and health issues which can occur in educational institutions like bullying, fighting, gang activity, the use of weapons, shootings, violence against authority, violence against peers, racial, religious, sexual, gender or bias-motivated violence or intimidation as well as vandalism. The issue of safety and health can also include the suitability of the building structures itself to the occupants. Sometimes the structures itself is not suitable to be occupied and be used as educational settings. The issue can also be extended to include pollutions where students and workers in the educational settings are being exposed to unsafe and unhealthy environment from the surrounding. Such pollutions might come from air, water soil and many more. Foods hygiene can also become an issue when discussing about the issue of safety and health in educational settings. With the spread of Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, the issue of safety and health has become a very hot topic of discussion by everyone including those belong in educational settings. Students, their parents and guardians, along with their educators and administrative staffs now demanding a more safe and healthy environment for them to teach and learn. A safe and healthy learning environment will allow students and all workers in educational institutions to focus with their respective duties and responsibilities. Similar like other workplaces, the issue of safety and health in all educational institutions should be the prime concern for everyone. And similar like other workplaces, employer in the educational institution play very important role to ensure their educational premises is safe and healthy for everyone. Employer in such institution should take responsibility if there is any neglectful breach on their part to ensure safety and health issue in their educational settings. All educational settings should provide conducive space where everyone can come to teach and learn without having worry over their own safety and health. Safety and health of the students and workers which includes educators and the administrative staffs in the educational settings should be given top priority for everyone. There cannot be any compromise on such issue. As such, it is the object of this paper to examine further the issue of safety and health further and identify the existing laws and practices in Malaysia in dealing with such issue particularly the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 [Act 514]. Possible recommendations will also be included in the paper to further strengthen the issue of safety and health in all educational institutions in the country.