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Investigating patterns of workplace fatal fall injuries: Case study of Malaysia

Zermane A, Tohir MZM, Baharudin MR, Yusoff HM

J Safety Res, 2023 Jun;85:492-506.
PMID: 37330899 DOI: 10.1016/j.jsr.2023.05.003

INTRODUCTION: Falling from heights can be a serious and potentially life-threatening hazard. In Malaysia, falls from heights are one of the leading causes of workplace accidents and fatalities. The Malaysian Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) reported that the year 2021 recorded an alarmingly high number of fatalities, of which the majority of the injuries were due to falls from heights.
OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study is to understand the relationship between the different variables associated with fatal falls from heights, which will help identify potential areas to work on to prevent these types of injuries.
METHODS: The study analyzed 3,321 fatal falls from height accidents from 2010 to 2020 DOSH data. Data were cleaned and normalized to extract relevant information for analysis, with agreement on variables and reliability achieved through independent sampling.
RESULTS: This study found that general workers were the most vulnerable category to fatal falls, with a 32% yearly average, whereas supervisors were the least vulnerable, with 4%. Roofers recorded a yearly fatal falls average of 15.5%, followed by electricians with 12%. Cramer's V results ranged from negligible, weak, and strong correlations; strong to moderate correlation between the dates of injuries and the factors used in this study, whereas the direct and root causes recorded a weak to negligible correlation with the rest of the variables.
CONCLUSIONS: This study provided a better understanding of the working conditions of the Malaysian construction industry. By analyzing fall injury patterns and uncovering the factors, direct and root causes relationship with other variables, it was clear how severe the Malaysian workplace conditions were.
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: This study will help better understand fatal fall injuries in the Malaysian construction industry and help develop prevention measures based on the uncovered patterns and associations.

Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
The role of digital transformation in supply chain efficiency and economic output

Zhu H

Environ Sci Pollut Res Int, 2024 Jan;31(3):3656-3668.
PMID: 38091214 DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30984-w

From the perspective of sustainable supply chain management (SSCM), this research looks at the key elements influencing how small- and medium-sized companies (SMEs) move toward a circular economy (CE). This research aims to understand the elements that influence SMEs to embrace CE principles and determine the real-world applications of SSCM practices. This research gathered and analyzed data from diverse European SMEs working inside CE networks using a mixed-method approach. We received answers from several of these firms using a survey form sent and emailed to them. The replies were then assessed using an independent t test to account for any biases. We used confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the validity assessment, compound consistency, and corrected-item-total association measures to validate the model's validity and reliability. According to our research, SMEs are influenced significantly by societal pressures, green economic incentives, and environmental dedication when deciding whether to adopt CE practices. Our study further emphasizes the importance of SSCM for SMEs' successful transition to a CE model, especially regarding resource and waste management efficiency. This work contributes to the corpus of research on the topic by providing empirical support for the function of SSCM in easing the transition towards CE in the setting of SMEs. The results might serve as a reference for managers and policymakers as they create plans to encourage SMEs to embrace CE practices and to emphasize the advantages of such a change on the economic, social, and environmental fronts. Putting a particular emphasis on the vital roles that public pressure, green financial incentives, and ecological dedication play, this research provides insights into the complex interactions between SSCM and CE transition in SMEs. Further study is needed to examine how these determinants could fluctuate across various industries and geographies.

Matched MeSH terms: Industry*
Fulltext Individual evaluation of fatigue at work to enhance the safety performance in the construction industry: A systematic review

Heng PP, Mohd Yusoff H, Hod R

PLoS One, 2024;19(2):e0287892.
PMID: 38324557 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0287892

The construction industry is recognized as one of the most hazardous industries globally due to the dynamic on site activities and labour-intensive characteristics. The construction tasks are physically and cognitively demanding therefore the construction workers are prone to work fatigue which compromises safety performance. The evaluation of fit for duty, or fitness for work (FFW) aims to determine if workers are at risk of adverse impacts of ill-health, injury or accidents. This systematic review aimed to critically summarize up-to-date measures and evaluation tools that were employed to monitor work fitness or fatigue specifically among construction workers. Adhering with the PRISMA protocol, three databases were searched from the inception to 2022, with a total combination of 37 keywords, concluding to the selection of 20 relevant articles. The Mixed Method Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used as the guide for the study appraisal. A total of 20 articles were reviewed, published from 2008-2022. Majority of the studies employed experimental design. The review identified the subjective evaluation scales and objective measurement tool. The subjective self-response questionnaires can be categorized into single dimension or multidimension covering both physical and mental fitness; whereas the objective measurement tool can be categorized into physiological metrics, physical and cognitive performance measure. The available scientific evidence has raised the relevant issues for on-site practicality and potentially guide the formulation of evidence-based guidelines for the FFW assessment in the construction industry.

Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
Fulltext Health monitoring of civil infrastructure and materials

Aggelis DG, Alver N, Chai HK

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:435238.
PMID: 24701167 DOI: 10.1155/2014/435238
Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry/standards*; Construction Industry/trends
Fulltext Regulatory guidelines for biosimilars in Malaysia

Abas A

Biologicals, 2011 Sep;39(5):339-42.
PMID: 21784655 DOI: 10.1016/j.biologicals.2011.06.009

The biosimilars sector continues to attract huge interest and controversy. Biosimilars are new biopharmaceuticals that are "similar" but not identical to the innovator product. Characteristics of biopharmaceuticals are closely related to the manufacturing process, which implies that the products cannot be exactly duplicated. Minuscule differences in the product's structure and manufacturing process can result in different clinical outcome. This raises concerns over the safety, efficacy and even pharmacovigilance of biosimilars. Thus, biosimilars are unique - they are not a true chemical generic and are regulated via a distinct regulatory framework. This report discusses the features of Malaysian regulatory oversight of biosimilars and experience acquired in the evaluation of some products from various countries. Ensuring regulatory position adequately reflects scientific advancement, expertise/resources is key. The regulatory situation is an evolving process. Various guidance documents are being prepared with the aim of developing a uniform global framework towards assuring the dual goal of lower costs and patient safety while expediting the availability of important biosimilar products.

Matched MeSH terms: Drug Industry/legislation & jurisprudence*; Drug Industry/standards*
Fake Graduates

Sorooshian S

Sci Eng Ethics, 2017 06;23(3):941-942.
PMID: 27357573 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-016-9784-z

There is growing concern regarding the erosion of industries' trust in the reliability and validity of university graduates. Fake graduates are described in this letter. This article endeavors to warn of a new version of the scholarly black market, in which theses and dissertations are sold to students seeking to graduate under false pretenses.

Matched MeSH terms: Industry/manpower*; Industry/trends
Business Ethics for Mobile Network Operators

Sorooshian S

Sci Eng Ethics, 2018 02;24(1):333-334.
PMID: 28155092 DOI: 10.1007/s11948-017-9878-2

The letter is highlighting a case of Business Ethics for Mobile Network Operators based on the recent news.

Matched MeSH terms: Industry/economics; Industry/ethics*
Fulltext Zero discharge performance of an industrial pilot-scale plant treating palm oil mill effluent

Wang J, Mahmood Q, Qiu JP, Li YS, Chang YS, Chi LN, et al.

Biomed Res Int, 2015;2015:617861.
PMID: 25685798 DOI: 10.1155/2015/617861

Palm oil is one of the most important agroindustries in Malaysia. Huge quantities of palm oil mill effluent (POME) pose a great threat to aqueous environment due to its very high COD. To make full use of discharged wastes, the integrated "zero discharge" pilot-scale industrial plant comprising "pretreatment-anaerobic and aerobic process-membrane separation" was continuously operated for 1 year. After pretreatment in the oil separator tank, 55.6% of waste oil in raw POME could be recovered and sold and anaerobically digested through 2 AnaEG reactors followed by a dissolved air flotation (DAF); average COD reduced to about 3587 mg/L, and biogas production was 27.65 times POME injection which was used to generate electricity. The aerobic effluent was settled for 3 h or/and treated in MBR which could remove BOD3 (30°C) to less than 20 mg/L as required by Department of Environment of Malaysia. After filtration by UF and RO membrane, all organic compounds and most of the salts were removed; RO permeate could be reused as the boiler feed water. RO concentrate combined with anaerobic surplus sludge could be used as biofertilizer.

Matched MeSH terms: Food-Processing Industry/methods*
Fulltext The effect of crumb rubber particle size to the optimum binder content for open graded friction course

Ibrahim MR, Katman HY, Karim MR, Koting S, Mashaan NS

ScientificWorldJournal, 2014;2014:240786.
PMID: 24574875 DOI: 10.1155/2014/240786

The main objective of this paper is to investigate the relations of rubber size, rubber content, and binder content in determination of optimum binder content for open graded friction course (OGFC). Mix gradation type B as specified in Specification for Porous Asphalt produced by the Road Engineering Association of Malaysia (REAM) was used in this study. Marshall specimens were prepared with four different sizes of rubber, namely, 20 mesh size [0.841 mm], 40 mesh [0.42 mm], 80 mesh [0.177 mm], and 100 mesh [0.149 mm] with different concentrations of rubberised bitumen (4%, 8%, and 12%) and different percentages of binder content (4%-7%). The appropriate optimum binder content is then selected according to the results of the air voids, binder draindown, and abrasion loss test. Test results found that crumb rubber particle size can affect the optimum binder content for OGFC.

Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry/methods*
Fulltext Formation of biofilm by Listeria monocytogenes ATCC 19112 at different incubation temperatures and concentrations of sodium chloride

Lee HY, Chai LC, Pui CF, Mustafa S, Cheah YK, Nishibuchi M, et al.

Braz J Microbiol, 2013;44(1):51-5.
PMID: 24159283 DOI: 10.1590/S1517-83822013005000004

Biofilm formation can lead to various consequences in the food processing line such as contamination and equipment breakdowns. Since formation of biofilm can occur in various conditions; this study was carried out using L. monocytogenes ATCC 19112 and its biofilm formation ability tested under various concentrations of sodium chloride and temperatures. Cultures of L. monocytogenes ATCC 19112 were placed in 96-well microtitre plate containing concentration of sodium chloride from 1-10% (w/v) and incubated at different temperature of 4 °C, 30 °C and 45 °C for up to 60 h. Absorbance reading of crystal violet staining showed the density of biofilm formed in the 96-well microtitre plates was significantly higher when incubated in 4 °C. The formation of biofilm also occurs at a faster rate at 4 °C and higher optical density (OD 570 nm) was observed at 45 °C. This shows that storage under formation of biofilm that may lead to a higher contamination along the processing line in the food industry. Formation of biofilm was found to be more dependent on temperature compared to sodium chloride stress.

Matched MeSH terms: Food-Processing Industry; Food Industry
Fulltext An Integrated MCDM Model for Conveyor Equipment Evaluation and Selection in an FMC Based on a Fuzzy AHP and Fuzzy ARAS in the Presence of Vagueness

Nguyen HT, Dawal SZ, Nukman Y, Rifai AP, Aoyama H

PLoS One, 2016;11(4):e0153222.
PMID: 27070543 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0153222

The conveyor system plays a vital role in improving the performance of flexible manufacturing cells (FMCs). The conveyor selection problem involves the evaluation of a set of potential alternatives based on qualitative and quantitative criteria. This paper presents an integrated multi-criteria decision making (MCDM) model of a fuzzy AHP (analytic hierarchy process) and fuzzy ARAS (additive ratio assessment) for conveyor evaluation and selection. In this model, linguistic terms represented as triangular fuzzy numbers are used to quantify experts' uncertain assessments of alternatives with respect to the criteria. The fuzzy set is then integrated into the AHP to determine the weights of the criteria. Finally, a fuzzy ARAS is used to calculate the weights of the alternatives. To demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed model, a case study is performed of a practical example, and the results obtained demonstrate practical potential for the implementation of FMCs.

Matched MeSH terms: Manufacturing Industry*
Mango (Mangifera indica L.) by-products and their valuable components: a review

Jahurul MH, Zaidul IS, Ghafoor K, Al-Juhaimi FY, Nyam KL, Norulaini NA, et al.

Food Chem, 2015 Sep 15;183:173-80.
PMID: 25863626 DOI: 10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.03.046

The large amount of waste produced by the food industries causes serious environmental problems and also results in economic losses if not utilized effectively. Different research reports have revealed that food industry by-products can be good sources of potentially valuable bioactive compounds. As such, the mango juice industry uses only the edible portions of the mangoes, and a considerable amount of peels and seeds are discarded as industrial waste. These mango by-products come from the tropical or subtropical fruit processing industries. Mango by-products, especially seeds and peels, are considered to be cheap sources of valuable food and nutraceutical ingredients. The main uses of natural food ingredients derived from mango by-products are presented and discussed, and the mainstream sectors of application for these by-products, such as in the food, pharmaceutical, nutraceutical and cosmetic industries, are highlighted.

Matched MeSH terms: Food-Processing Industry/methods*
Fulltext Confronting the health hazards of industrialization in Malaysia

Kandiah M, Ramlee R

World Health Forum, 1995;16(2):167-9.
PMID: 7794454

The authors outline the steps being taken in Malaysia aimed at persuading people to avoid the unhealthy lifestyles commonly associated with socioeconomic development and increased affluence, and to adopt health dietary and other habits.

Matched MeSH terms: Industry*
Malaysia: racing round the hurdles

Simpson D

Tob Control, 2004 Jun;13(2):106-7.
PMID: 15175520
Matched MeSH terms: Tobacco Industry*
An empirical study of construction and demolition waste generation and implication of recycling

Islam R, Nazifa TH, Yuniarto A, Shanawaz Uddin ASM, Salmiati S, Shahid S

Waste Manag, 2019 Jul 15;95:10-21.
PMID: 31351595 DOI: 10.1016/j.wasman.2019.05.049

Associated with the continuing increase of construction activities such as infrastructure projects, commercial buildings and housing programs, Bangladesh has been experiencing a rapid increase of construction and demolition (C&D) waste. Till now, the generation rate of C&D waste has not been well understood or not explicitly documented in Bangladesh. This study aims to provide an approach to estimate C&D waste generation using waste generation rates (WGR) through regression analysis. Furthermore, analyses the economic benefit of recycling C&D waste. The results revealed that WGR 63.74 kg/m2 and 1615 kg/m2 for construction and demolition activities respectively. Approximately, in financial year (FY) 2016, 1.28 million tons (0.149 construction and 1.139 demolition) waste were generated in Dhaka city, of which the three largest proportions were concrete (60%), brick/block (21%) and mortar (9%). After collection they were dumped in either landfills or unauthorized places. Therefore, it can be summarized as: waste is a resource in wrong place. The results of this study indicate that rapid urbanization of Dhaka city would likely experience the peak in the generation of C&D waste. This paper thus designates that C&D waste recycling is an entrepreneurial activity worth venturing into and an opportunity for extracting economic and environmental benefits from waste. The research findings also show that recycling of concrete and brick waste can add economic value of around 44.96 million USD. In addition, recycling of C&D waste leads to important reductions in CO2 emissions, energy use, natural resources and illegal landfills. Therefore, the findings of WGR and economic values provide valuable quantitative information for the future C&D waste management exercises of various stakeholders such as government, industry and academy.

Matched MeSH terms: Construction Industry*
Fulltext Effect of nanoparticles concentration on electromagnetic-assisted oil recovery using ZnO nanofluids

Adil M, Lee K, Mohd Zaid H, A Shukur MF, Manaka T

PLoS One, 2020;15(12):e0244738.
PMID: 33382855 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0244738

Utilization of metal-oxide nanoparticles (NPs) in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) has generated substantial recent research interest in this area. Among these NPs, zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO-NPs) have demonstrated promising results in improving oil recovery due to their prominent thermal properties. These nanoparticles can also be polarized by electromagnetic (EM) field, which offers a unique Nano-EOR approach called EM-assisted Nano-EOR. However, the impact of NPs concentrations on oil recovery mechanism under EM field has not been well established. For this purpose, ZnO nanofluids (ZnO-NFs) of two different particle sizes (55.7 and 117.1 nm) were formed by dispersing NPs between 0.01 wt.% to 0.1 wt.% in a basefluid of sodium dodecylbenzenesulfonate (SDBS) and NaCl to study their effect on oil recovery mechanism under the electromagnetic field. This mechanism involved parameters, including mobility ratio, interfacial tension (IFT) and wettability. The displacement tests were conducted in water-wet sandpacks at 95˚C, by employing crude oil from Tapis. Three tertiary recovery scenarios have been performed, including (i) SDBS surfactant flooding as a reference, (ii) ZnO-NFs flooding, and (iii) EM-assisted ZnO-NFs flooding. Compare with incremental oil recovery from surfactant flooding (2.1% original oil in place/OOIP), nanofluid flooding reaches up to 10.2% of OOIP at optimal 0.1 wt.% ZnO (55.7 nm). Meanwhile, EM-assisted nanofluid flooding at 0.1 wt.% ZnO provides a maximum oil recovery of 10.39% and 13.08% of OOIP under EM frequency of 18.8 and 167 MHz, respectively. By assessing the IFT/contact angle and mobility ratio, the optimal NPs concentration to achieve a favorable ER effect and interfacial disturbance is determined, correlated to smaller hydrodynamic-sized nanoparticles that cause strong electrostatic repulsion between particles.

Matched MeSH terms: Oil and Gas Industry*
The effect of hydraulic retention time on granular sludge biomass in treating textile wastewater

Muda K, Aris A, Salim MR, Ibrahim Z, van Loosdrecht MC, Ahmad A, et al.

Water Res, 2011 Oct 15;45(16):4711-21.
PMID: 21714982 DOI: 10.1016/j.watres.2011.05.012

The physical characteristics, microbial activities and kinetic properties of the granular sludge biomass were investigated under the influence of different hydraulic retention times (HRT) along with the performance of the system in removal of color and COD of synthetic textile wastewater. The study was conducted in a column reactor operated according to a sequential batch reactor with a sequence of anaerobic and aerobic reaction phases. Six stages of different HRTs and different anaerobic and aerobic reaction time were evaluated. It was observed that the increase in HRT resulted in the reduction of organic loading rate (OLR). This has caused a decrease in biomass concentration (MLSS), reduction in mean size of the granules, lowered the settling ability of the granules and reduction of oxygen uptake rate (OUR), overall specific biomass growth rate (ìoverall), endogeneous decay rate (kd) and biomass yield (Yobs, Y). When the OLR was increased by adding carbon sources (glucose, sodium acetate and ethanol), there was a slight increase in the MLSS, the granules mean size, ìoverall, and biomass yield. Under high HRT, increasing the anaerobic to aerobic reaction time ratio caused an increase in the concentration of MLSS, mean size of granules and lowered the SVI value and biomass yield. The ìoverall and biomass yield increased with the reduction in anaerobic/aerobic time ratio. The HRT of 24 h with anaerobic and aerobic reaction time of 17.8 and 5.8 h respectively appear to be the best cycle operation of SBR. Under these conditions, not only the physical properties of the biogranules have improved, the highest removal of color (i.e. 94.1±0.6%) and organics (i.e. 86.5±0.5%) of the synthetic textile dyeing wastewater have been achieved.

Matched MeSH terms: Textile Industry*
Fulltext Quality management framework for the SME’s food processing industry in Malaysia

Talib, H.H.A., Ali, K.A.M., Idris, F.

International Food Research Journal, 2013;20(1):147-164.
MyJurnal

Previous literatures have demonstrated a significant research gap in terms of the quality of the management practices in the organizational performances of the SMEs particularly in the food processing industry in Malaysia. Subsequently, an exploratory study is conducted to verify the proposed critical success factors (CSF) and the model constructs for SMEs in the Malaysian
food industry that is in line with these practices. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to identify CSF of quality management practices of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in the Malaysian food industry and to develop a conceptual framework of quality management practices based on the Total Quality Management (TQM) in relation to the organizational performance of the SMEs in the food processing industry in Malaysia. The quality management framework consists of leadership, corporate planning, human resource management, customer focus, supplier focus, information management, process management and quality assurance as the CSF. Finding from the exploratory study has supported the proposed constructs and results show that the instrument is reliable in measuring the construct. Thus, this study is important to support the SMEs in the food processing industry in Malaysia to manage and prioritize the implementation of QM in order to improve the organizational performance.

Matched MeSH terms: Food-Processing Industry; Food Industry
Fulltext Embedding Islamic dietary law into an HACCP approach for application to the poultry slaughtering and processing industry

Kohilavani, Zzaman, W., Abdullah, W.W.N., Tajul, A.Y.

International Food Research Journal, 2015;22(6):2684-2690.
MyJurnal

Since early 2000, Malaysian food-export industries have recognised the demand for food
compliant with Islamic dietary law (halal), with primary consumer choices based on quality
and safety. The lack of documented monitoring for health hazards and haram substances led
to the withdrawal of certification. The HACCP-based halal quality-assurance standards were
developed as a result, using the HACCP criteria for safety, religious dietary requirement and
quality. Halal critical control points (HlCCP) are identified using HACCP criteria and a question
tree on HALAL processing and storage. This approach harmonizes and unifies halal processing
with the specific food industry via an HACCP–based halal quality-assurance system.

Matched MeSH terms: Food-Processing Industry; Food Industry
How might the Trans-Pacific Partnership impact on the pharmaceutical sector in Vietnam?

Binh NH, Anh PN, Phuong NM

Pharm Pat Anal, 2016 Jul;5(4):261-70.
PMID: 27346326 DOI: 10.4155/ppa-2016-0008

Ratification of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) will attract a large number of foreign drug companies in the coming years to Vietnam. It is anticipated to bring investment to Vietnam's pharmaceutical industries, lead to increased infrastructure and enable the use of more sophisticated technologies for the discovery, development and manufacture of drugs. However, with respect to pharmaceutical companies, which are producing generic drugs primarily, the availability of biologic will be reduced. Thus, the consequence is, an increase in drug cost resulting in difficulties for patients wishing to procure these drugs. This will be particularly detrimental for developing countries, such as Vietnam and Malaysia.

Matched MeSH terms: Drug Industry*

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