Azman (left) shaking hands with Riot (second right) while launching the programme.

KUCHING: The Social Security Organisation’s (Socso) outreach programme ‘Patuh dan Lindung’ is part of its corporate social responsibility (CSR) for residents of Serian.

Human Resources Minister Datuk Seri Richard Riot Jaem added that it was also a Blue Ocean Strategy approach under the Human Resource Ministry in optimising the government’s asset and allocation of resources.

“This programme is to ensure the level of compliance for all employers and companies operating in Serian is as high as it should be, under the Employees’ Social Security Act 1969 and Employees’ Social Security (General) Regulations 1971.

“It also ensures that employees in Serian will be protected under the Social Security Scheme under Socso, and this programme features seminars from Socso regarding employers and benefit claims as well as health promotion.

Hopefully, these efforts will provide the best service and awareness to the community here regarding safety,” Riot said in his speech at the programme.

He added that the Human Resource Ministry always supported Socso’s efforts in promoting accident avoidance and safety and health awareness between employers and employees.

“Indirectly, Socso can provide many different benefits for the welfare of employees, especially for Socso contributors. Work disaster and sickness cases continue to impact employees in the nation and even though there has been a decrease in terms of figures, it is sad to hear when we were informed that the total accident cases involving Socso contributors in 2015 was still high.

“There has also been an increase of accidents going to and fro the workplace of over 500 cases compared to 2014, and a total of 1,000 employees were killed due to work disaster, and out of that total, 691 cases were accidents going back and forth between the workplace,” Riot said.

He stressed that the government was looking seriously into increasing employees’ safety, hence the 2016 Human Resource Ministry Transformation Plan.

“We have taken strategic steps in promoting the well-being of employees such as increasing more advocacy programmes for safe journey to the workplace to selected employers in the country and promoting health in the workplace.

“Therefore, I hope programmes like this will be continued to ensure that safety and health of employees can be protected,” Riot added.

Also present at the event were Human Resource Ministry chief secretary Dato Sri Adenan Rahman, Socso chief executive officer Dato Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed, Serian resident Dahim Nadot, Socso board members and HR Ministry department heads.