OSH Chemical & Noise Regulations – Comprehensive Notes

Occupational Safety and Health (Noise Exposure) Regulations 2019

• Citation & Commencement ⇒ in force 1^{st} June 2019.
• Scope ⇒ every workplace under OSHA 1994 where employees may be exposed to noise.

Key Definitions (Reg. 2)

• Excessive Noise ⇢ any of the following:
▪ Daily Noise Exposure Level >82\;\text{dB(A)}
▪ Daily Personal Noise Dose >50\%
▪ Maximum SPL >115\;\text{dB(A)}
▪ Peak SPL >140\;\text{dB(C)}
• NEL (Noise Exposure Limit) ⇢ 85\;\text{dB(A)} in 8 h or 100\% dose, Max SPL 115\;\text{dB(A)}, Peak SPL 140\;\text{dB(C)}.
• STS (Standard Threshold Shift) ⇢ average shift \ge10\;\text{dB} at 2,3,4\;\text{kHz}.

Salient Duties

• Identification of Excessive Noise ⇢ review every 12 months, after process change, or when directed by DG.
• Noise Risk Assessment (NRA)
▪ Employer: appoint registered NRA; implement recommendations ≤ 30 d; review every 5 y.
▪ NRA: IEC-compliant instruments; submit full report ≤ 1 month; notify DOSH 14 d before assessment.
• Information, Instruction, Training, Supervision ⇒ annual; cover effects, PHP use, control measures.
• Engineering/Admin Hierarchy when NEL exceeded ⇢ practicability test & written justification to DG.
• Personal Hearing Protectors (PHP)
▪ DG-approved; attenuate below NEL; maintained & available at all times.
• Hearing Protection Zone ⇢ signage “HEARING PROTECTION ZONE”, demarcation, mandatory PHP use.
• Audiometric Testing
▪ Annual for employees ≥ NEL.
▪ Baseline within 3 months of job start (quiet <80\;\text{dB(A)} for ≥14 h).
▪ ATC → OHD → employer → employee within 21 d.
▪ Temporary STS ⇒ retest ≤ 3 m + protective actions.
• Recordkeeping ⇢ NRA reports 30 y; audiograms employment period + 5 y.
• Penalty ⇢ fine \le\text{RM 10 000} and/or jail \le1 year.

Industry Code of Practice (ICOP) 2019 – Noise Exposure & Hearing Conservation

• Objective ⇢ practical guidance to comply with 2019 Regulations.
• Applies to all OSHA 1994 workplaces.

Core Components

  1. Hearing Conservation Programme (HCP) – yearly review, led by Hearing Conservation Administrator (HCA).
  2. Identification of Excessive Noise – Checklist (App.1).
  3. NRA – report‐writing guide (App.2), equipment to IEC 61672-1 & 61252.
  4. Control Methods
    ▪ Engineering at source & path (barriers, distance, damping, reverberation control).
    ▪ Administrative (rotation, signage, scheduling).
    ▪ PHP hierarchy – never substitute viable engineering control.
  5. Information, Instruction, Training – multilingual; target all personnel incl. buyers & designers.
  6. Audiometric Testing flow (App.3 & 4) + disorder notification (Apps 5–7).
  7. Registration of NRA & ATC; detailed duties for Designers, Manufacturers, Importers, Suppliers (App.8).

Guidelines for Control of Occupational Noise 2005

• Provide practical engineering noise-control techniques: substitution, plant planning, silencers, vibration isolation, room treatment, absorptive barriers.
• Appendices: noise theory, control materials, consultant selection, design criteria for new plant.

Occupational Safety & Health (Use & Standards of Exposure of Chemicals Hazardous to Health) Regulations 2000 — “USECHH”

Application

• ≈600 chemicals (Sched I & II) or possessing properties in OSH-CLASS 2013; pesticides; scheduled wastes.

Employer / Self-Employed Core Duties (Reg. 4)

  1. Identify CHH → maintain Chemical Register (name, CSDS, quantities, location, supplier).
  2. Comply with Permissible Exposure Limit (Ceiling, 8-h TWA, MEL =3\times\text{TWA (15 min)}).
  3. Conduct Chemical Health Risk Assessment (CHRA) – written, before new work, ≤1 y from coming into force, review after 5 y or significant change.
  4. Implement Control Measures within 1 m: elimination, substitution, enclosure, isolation, process modification, engineering controls (LEV), safe work systems, PPE.
  5. Provide Info/Instruction/Training – review every 2 y or upon change.
  6. Exposure Monitoring – by Hygiene Technician every ≤6 m for Sched II substances.
  7. Health Surveillance – OHD; annually for Sched II chemicals.
  8. Labelling & CSDS availability; relabel when transferred.
  9. Recordkeeping – CHRA, monitoring, health records 30 y.
    • Penalties ⇢ fine \le\text{RM 10 000} / 1 y jail; continuing \le\text{RM 1 000 d}^{-1}.

Occupational Safety & Health (Notification of Accident, Dangerous Occurrence, Occupational Poisoning & Occupational Disease) Regulations 2004

• Purpose ⇢ root‐cause learning; national statistics.

Key Concepts & Forms

• Serious Bodily Injury (Sched 1); Dangerous Occurrence (Table 6).
• Employer/Self-Employed notify DOSH:
▪ Death, serious injury, DO – immediate phone + Form JKKP 6 within 7 d.
▪ Poisoning/Disease – Form JKKP 7 within 7 d (also by attending doctor).
• Register (Form JKKP 8) – all cases, sent to DOSH HQ by 31^{st} Jan yearly; retain 5 y.
• Decision Flow (4 steps): identify case → decide work-related → classify (Accident/DO/OP/OD) → notify & record.
• Penalties ⇢ fine \le\text{RM 10 000} or 2 y jail.

Occupational Safety & Health (Control of Industrial Major Accident Hazards) Regulations 1996 — “CIMAH”

Scope & Thresholds

• Applies to industrial installations holding ≥10 % of Sched 2 threshold quantities of hazardous substances; excludes nuclear & military.
• DG may upgrade/downgrade status.

Classification

• Major Hazard Installation (MHI): \text{QHS}\ge\text{TQ}.
• Non-MHI (NMHI): 0.1\,\text{TQ}<\text{QHS}<\text{TQ}.

Manufacturer Obligations

  1. Notification of Industrial Activity (Sched 5) → 1 month pre-construction; update on changes.
  2. Demonstration of Safe Operation (NMHI) – evidence of hazard ID, prevention & ERP.
  3. Safety Report (MHI)
    ▪ Prepared by registered Competent Person; initial: existing installations 12 m; new installations 3 m pre-commissioning; review every 3 y or mod.
    ▪ Content (Sched 6): substance data, site maps, management system, QRA, meteorology, population, emergency arrangements.
  4. On-Site Emergency Response Plan (ERP) – consult CP; update; submit to DG; align with off-site.
  5. Inform Local/Port Authority – facilitate off-site ERP.
  6. Information to Public (Sched 3) – plain language, bilingual, periodic update.
  7. Major Accident Notification – immediate to nearest DOSH.
    • Penalties: Manufacturer fine \le\text{RM 50 000} / 2 y jail; employee \le\text{RM 1 000} / 3 m jail.

Occupational Safety & Health (Classification, Labelling & Safety Data Sheet of Hazardous Chemicals) Regulations 2013 — “CLASS 2013”

Objective & Coverage

• Implements GHS (3rd Rev. Ed.). Applies to ANY chemical supplied for workplace use (substance/mixture) except radioactive, pesticides, drugs, foods, scheduled wastes, chemicals in transit, R&D ≤5\;\text{kg} (SDS still needed).

Actors

• Principal Supplier = manufacturer, formulator, importer, recycler, reformulator.
• Subsidiary Supplier = repacker, distributor, retailer.

Principal Supplier Duties

  1. Classification
    ▪ Use ICOP PART 1 (ready list) or PART 2 (methodology).
    ▪ Maintain classification record (ICOP format) for inspection.
  2. Packaging – robust, leak-free, resistant, resealable; initial tamper seal.
  3. Labelling (Reg. 8)
    ▪ 6 GHS elements: product identifier, supplier ID, signal word, hazard statement(s), precautionary statements, pictograms.
    ▪ Languages: BM + English; label sizes – Fourth Schedule.
    ▪ Small pack ≤125\;\text{mL} minimal label + “Read SDS before use”.
    ▪ Update within 3 m if classification becomes more severe.
  4. SDS – furnish with each supply; 16 sections; bilingual; update when new data or ≥5 y.
  5. Inventory – manufacturers/importers submit annual (>1\;\text{t}) to DG by 31^{st} Mar.
  6. Confidential Business Information (CBI) – may mask name/composition but must disclose to DG, OHD, or user upon written request.

Subsidiary Supplier Duties

• Ensure label & SDS remain intact; cannot alter hazard info.

Penalties

• Most breaches: fine \le\text{RM 10 000} / 1 y jail; continuing \le\text{RM 1 000 d}^{-1}.

Guidelines & Institutional Context

• Legislative basis: OSHA 1994 §15 general duty + reg-making powers §66.
• Multiple ministries/agencies regulate chemicals (Human Resources – DOSH; Health – MOH; DOE; MITI; Customs; Agriculture; Foreign Affairs for CWC; etc.).
• Complementary guidelines: registration of CHRA Assessors/OHD/HT, LEV design & testing, PPE, medical surveillance, storage of CHH.

Cross-Cutting Ethical / Practical Implications

• Hierarchy of Control reiterated: engineering > admin > PPE; echoes global best practice.
• Record retention up to 30 years reflects latent disease latency & worker right-to-know.
• CBI balanced against worker health by mandatory disclosure to authorities/medical staff.
• Annual training & audiometry embed continuous improvement and early detection ethos.
• Penalties, though modest, create legal impetus; severe (CIMAH) recognise catastrophic potential.

Numerical / Statistical References (selection)

• Noise ID threshold 82\;\text{dB(A)} vs NEL 85\;\text{dB(A)}.
• Peak noise absolute 140\;\text{dB(C)} – pain/instant damage.
• USECHH MEL =3\times\text{TWA} (15 min).
• CIMAH thresholds vary: e.g., Chlorine 10\;\text{t}, Ethylene Oxide 5\;\text{t}.
• CLASS label dimensions: 52\times74\text{ mm} (≤3 L) up to 148\times210\text{ mm} (>500 L).

Study Tips & Connections

• Map each regulation to PDCA cycle: Plan (id assess), Do (controls), Check (monitor, audiometry), Act (review, penalties).
• Recall "8 Framework" list (Noise 2019, USECHH 2000, NADOPOD 2004, CIMAH 1996, CLASS 2013) – often examined together.
• Link GHS hazard classes to corresponding control obligations in USECHH & CIMAH.
• Understand how Noise ICOP parallels CHRA methodology – both require competent person, written report, 5 y review, 30 y records.
• Use numeric mnemonics: 14\;\text{d} notice (NRA), 30\;\text{d} implement, 5\;\text{y} review, 30\;\text{y} retain.