April 23, 2025
PETALING JAYA – It might be a silent epidemic but noise pollution at workplaces has overtaken all other hazards and is the leading occupational disease in the country, according to the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH).
The relentless roar from heavy machinery, thunderous hammering and other high-decibel industrial effects from factories, construction sites and logistics hubs mean that workers face a risk of losing their hearing if they fail to take proper safety measures.
DOSH deputy director-general (Occupational Health) Dr Majahar Abd Rahman said occupational noise-induced hearing disorders (ONRHD) have surpassed all other occupational diseases in the country.
In fact, he said they combined to be the source of the highest number of health complaints received from the workforce over the past five years.
He added that the manufacturing industry reported the highest number of ONRHD cases, especially in sectors involving metalworks, plastic production, food and beverage packaging and palm oil processing.
“This is due to noises produced by high-powered machinery used in these sectors for mass production and which runs around the clock.
“In the metalworks industry, there are processes such as the cutting, hammering and stamping which emit loud noises continuously. High decibel noises are also caused by air compressors and cooling systems.
“Almost 80% of the 6,754 ONRHD cases reported in 2023 occurred in the manufacturing industry,” he said in an interview.
Although there have been fluctuations in the number of annual cases, five years of data from between 2019 and 2023 revealed that hearing-related disorders consistently topped the list of occupational illnesses. They comprised 81% of a total of 31,488 cases of occupational diseases reported in Malaysia.
Dr Majahar said among the main causes of hearing-related diseases is the exposure to noise that exceeds 85 decibels (dB), a noise limit that goes beyond workplace noise limits as stipulated in the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 2019.
He said without hearing protection, exposure to such noise pollution for over eight hours could gradually and in the long term cause hearing loss.
“Containing noise through engineering controls is a critical step in reducing or limiting exposure to such hazards. Safety measures such as replacing noisy machinery with quieter models, the use of mufflers, silencers, vibration dampeners and sound-proof barriers or enclosures could help mitigate the issue.
“If this is not possible for some reason, there should at least be other measures such as the compulsory use of ear protection with earplugs or earmuffs.”
However, he said there still appear to be workplaces that do not prioritise taking such steps to lower their noise pollution.
“Employers should ensure their workers undergo annual audiometric tests to detect hearing disorders at an early stage. Such routine medical examinations are not being carried out by some employers or no follow-up action is taken when an employee is diagnosed with hearing diseases,” he said.
Dr Majahar said employers who fail to take measures to protect workers who are susceptible to ONRHD at the workplace could face action under Section 15 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
This is an offence which carries a fine of up to RM500,000 or up to two years’ imprisonment or both.
Dr Majahar said employers could also face a fine of up to RM10,000, jail up to a year or both, under the Occupational Safety and Health Regulations 2019 if they fail to conduct noise risk assessments at their workplace, provide ear protection gear and audiometric tests for workers exposed to noise above 85dB.
“If a workplace is found to have dangerous levels of noise pollution, DOSH is empowered to order the company to improve the conditions to safer levels or even order the operations to completely cease until the issue is fixed,” he said.
Statistics by DOSH showed that OHRHD cases vastly outnumbered other occupational diseases.
In 2019, 5,699 out of 6,327 cases were hearing-related diseases; in 2020, 4,079 out of 4,574 cases; in 2021, 3,648 out of 5,289 cases; in 2022, 5,478 out of 7,143 cases; and in 2023, 6,754 out of 8,155 cases.
On Monday, The Star reported about DOSH’s concern over the alarming rise of hand and finger-related accidents, some of which had caused permanent disabilities among workers nationwide.