The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is offering help to the Education Ministry to create awareness of occupational safety and health (OSH) in schools through the "OSH in school programme".

Its chairman, Tan Sri Lee Lam Thye said OSH should be introduced in schools due to accidents involving teachers, students and staff arising from collapse of roof building structures, ceiling fans, goal posts, toilets and even chemical explosion.

"Safety and health are of paramount importance in schools. Such accidents are unacceptable more so in school where parents can trust their children to be safe," he said in a statement Tuesday.

Lee said the application of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) to schools as places of work aims to make it safe and healthy for teachers, students and visitors.

It is aimed at ensuring safety, health and welfare for those at work as well as protecting the students against risk to safety and health in connection with the activities of persons at work.

He said very little is known about "The OSH in school programme" which covers another dimension and views the school as a workplace, in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSHA) 1994.

Through the programme, Lee said NIOSH hopes to recommend good OSH management by education, awareness, training, exhibition and information dissemination in ensuring that employees know the risk they are facing in the workplace and how to work safely in order to deal with the risks.

"Apart from that, instilling awareness at an early stage is of utmost importance to creating a safe and healthy workplace. It is hoped that the programme will benefit the students," he added.

NIOSH has successfully introduced the programme as its corporate social responsibility (CSR) project to more than a dozen schools with sponsorship from corporate organisations.