COMMENT | Early this year, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) thumped its chest saying that death rates in the construction sector have been steadily going down, attributing it to plans and measures it had taken.

The death rate for workers in the construction industry, it said in a statement, had gone down from 14.57 per 100,000 construction workers in 2017 to 11.28 per 100,000 workers in 2019.

However, the number of accidents at work is relatively higher than other countries such as the United Kingdom and Singapore, it said, adding that laws had been amended as a deterrent and in line with current needs.

A deterrent? Really? A paltry RM20,000 fine for the death of six foreign workers on the...