Ministry to boost manpower to ensure SOP compliance at factories, premises

PUTRAJAYA: The Home Ministry will increase the number of personnel of its Snap Check monitoring team of the Movement Control Order (MCO) to enhance inspection operations at factories and business premises.

Minister Datuk Seri Hamzah Zainudin said the team currently consists of 19,716 personnel from the Royal Malaysia Police, Immigration Department, Prisons Department, People's Volunteer Corp and the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency, adding it had conducted 48,770 inspections on factories and business premises since June 14.

"The ministry is targeting to increase the percentage of inspections on the level of compliance with standard operating procedures (SOPs) in the sector," he said at a press conference on the total lockdown SOP compliance operations, here today.

On June 14, Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah said a total of 1,328 workplace clusters had been detected, adding enhancements of workplace SOPs should be implemented to address the situation.

Hamzah said the ministry had also detected employers or factories that had provided inaccurate information when applying for a letter to operate during the MCO through the COVID-19 Intelligent Management System (CIMS) 3.0 under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), adding offenders could be fined up to RM10,000 under the Prevention and Control of Infectious Diseases Act 1988 (Act 342).

HAMZAH-FACTORIES 2 (LAST) PUTRAJAYA

On the SOP compliance operations, Hamzah said the police had issued 14,539 compounds and detained 767 individuals for various SOP violations from June 1 to June 17.

The police also mounted 132 roadblocks on small roads used by motorists as alternative routes to cross states or districts.

"We will ensure that the routes remained closed during the total lockdown period. Before there was no Waze application, now Waze can show motorists smaller roads to avoid roadblocks," he said.

-- BERNAMA