Occupational Safety & Health Coordinator (OSH-C) – What Management Needs to Know

An Occupational Safety & Health Coordinator (OSH-C) is an employee appointed by an employer to coordinate occupational safety and health (OSH) matters at the workplace.

The OSH-C acts as the company's internal focal person for workplace safety—helping management identify hazards, assess risks, coordinate preventive measures, maintain OSH records and follow up on safety issues. Background

Malaysia strengthened its workplace safety framework through the Occupational Safety and Health (Amendment) Act 2022, which introduced Section 29A into the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (OSHA 1994). The amended provisions came into force on 1 June 2024. The objective is to extend structured OSH management to smaller and medium-sized workplaces that may not be required to employ a full-time Safety and Health Officer (SHO), ensuring that there is nevertheless a designated employee coordinating workplace safety and health.

Under Section 29A of OSHA 1994, an employer must appoint one of its employees as an OSH Coordinator where:

• the workplace has 5 or more employees; and
• the workplace is not required to appoint a Safety and Health Officer (SHO) under Section 29(1).

Where an SHO has already been appointed for the workplace, the OSH-C requirement is deemed to have been complied with. Therefore, OSH-C should not be viewed as an optional certification or training programme. Once the statutory conditions are met, the employer is legally required to make the appointment.

Failure to comply with Section 29A may, upon conviction, result in a fine of up to RM50,000, imprisonment of up to six months, or both.

The OSH-C assists management in coordinating day-to-day workplace safety and health matters. Typical responsibilities include:

Companies should first determine whether Section 29A applies to each workplace and identify a suitable employee to be appointed as the OSH Coordinator.

The selected employee should attend and successfully complete the 3-day Occupational Safety & Health Coordinator (OSH-C) training programme conducted by a JKKP/DOSH-approved training provider.

The general prerequisites for a participant include:

Upon successful completion of the required training and assessment, the employee can proceed with the applicable appointment and MyKKP registration process.

A common misconception is that the 5-employee threshold refers to the company's total headcount. It actually applies to each place of work.

Companies with multiple branches, offices, outlets, factories or other workplaces should therefore assess each workplace separately to determine whether the OSH-C requirement applies.