PASMA supports Malaysia’s development of new guidance on tower safety
28/06/2024 – Last November, we celebrated the release of the Malaysian Guidance on safe use of mobile access towers by the country’s safety authority, the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH). Now, we’d like to tell you a bit more about this milestone.
The guidance was officially launched by DOSH on 2 November 2023 at a special event in Kuala Lumpur (featured image), which was supported by PASMA and our local members Superb Access and PMB. It featured five speakers, a tower showcase, a practical TowerSure demonstration, and Q&A sessions.
Our collaboration with DOSH, though, began in 2018. PASMA's impact was recognised during the Klang Valley MRT project, when the joint venture MMC Gamuda was formed to develop the MRT’s lines 1 and 2. MMC Gamuda then became a PASMA training member, adopting EN 1004, providing PASMA training to their workforce, and paving the way for others to join the association – leading to hundreds being trained.
However, the start of the Covid-19 pandemic negatively impacted the development of both the MRT project and the new guidance. Efforts could only be resumed in the last quarter of 2022, so we met with DOSH’s director general and his team that December to provide our insights on the document, which became ready for release towards the end of the year.
The Malaysian guidance on tower safety
By aligning with international best practices, Malaysia sets a benchmark for tower safety in the region. The new guidance lays out the following safety requirements for the use of mobile access towers in the country:- Mandated PASMA training: all users and managers must undergo PASMA training.
- Certification requirements: towers are required to comply with EN 1004-1 and EN 1004-2 by holding third-party product conformity certification and being accompanied by an up-to-date instruction manual.
- Inspection and maintenance: regular inspections with records using PASMA inspection labels are mandated, while digital inspections using TowerSure are encouraged.
- Safety measures: personal protective equipment (PPE) and risk assessment procedures are also mandated.
Internationalising tower safety
PASMA continues to work with government bodies and industry representatives across the globe to increase access to safe equipment, internationally recognised training, and expert guidance. PASMA has provided support to standard authorities in several countries to implement similar measures, such as the UAE's Dubai Municipality Technical Guideline (GU74) and Abu Dhabi's OSHAD Code of Practice (COP 26) – both of which also mandate that all towers hold third-party product conformity certification to EN 1004, much like the Malaysian guidance. Other safety authority guidance PASMA’s been involved with to different degrees include:- Singapore’s SS659 standard;
- Petroleum Development Oman’s SP-1257 specification;
- South Africa's adoption of EN-1004 as SANS 51004:2009.
