Another tragedy has struck the palm oil industry. On 14 October 2024, a worker at a palm oil mill in Sabah, was killed after falling into a scraper conveyor. This marks the latest in a troubling series of fatal workplace incidents plaguing the sector.
Nearly a month later, there has been no official update from the Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) regarding the investigation. This silence raises serious questions about how the industry and its regulators are addressing repeated fatal accidents in one of Malaysia’s most economically important yet hazardous industrial sectors.
Recurring Fatalities Signal Systemic Failures
Fatal accidents in palm oil mills are not isolated tragedies. Over the years, incidents involving steam explosions, machinery entrapment, and confined space hazards have repeatedly made headlines. Each case underscores persistent weaknesses in safety management, leadership accountability, and operational discipline.
Despite notable improvements in sustainability practices and certification schemes, safety culture in parts of the industry still lags behind. The recurrence of similar accidents suggests that lessons are neither being fully learned nor effectively shared across the sector.
Leadership and the 3C Principle
True safety performance cannot be achieved through compliance checklists alone. Safety practitioners widely recognize the “3C Principle”—Condition, Competency, and Commitment—as fundamental to safety excellence.
Condition focuses on maintaining the physical integrity of equipment and facilities to ensure a safe working environment. Competency demands well-trained, skilled personnel who understand and respect the inherent risks of operations. Commitment, most critically, must emanate from the top, with leaders demonstrating visible ownership of safety and ensuring it is a non-negotiable priority embedded in the organizational culture.
Transparency as the Missing Link
DOSH’s role in investigating workplace fatalities is crucial, yet its communication of investigation outcomes remains disappointingly limited and opaque. The absence of published reports deprives other mills, safety practitioners, and policymakers of critical insights that could prevent future incidents.
A review of DOSH’s online fatal accident database reveals concerning gaps. The recent Beluran incident has yet to be documented on the portal, while the most recent palm oil mill entry dates to March 2025 and is still marked “under investigation.” Alarmingly, accidents from 2024 remain under the same status, suggesting the database is not being regularly updated.
Other jurisdictions offer instructive models. The UK’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) routinely publishes comprehensive investigation reports to foster sector-wide learning and accountability. Malaysia should adopt similar practices.
Some argue that palm oil industry accidents primarily involve occupational safety rather than the process safety risks associated with high-hazard industries like petrochemicals. But does this distinction justify reduced attention to worker safety? Every life has equal value, regardless of accident classification. Making investigation findings public does not weaken the industry. Instead, it strengthens it by building a culture of transparency, shared learning, and continuous improvement.
Beyond Generic Recommendations
While the root cause of the October incident awaits official investigation, available information indicates it is a preventable scenario if proper safeguards existed.
When DOSH eventually releases its investigation report, it should transcend generic recommendations like “follow safe operating procedures.” Instead, it should provide actionable technical details:
From a Condition perspective: Was the conveyor properly guarded? Was it equipped with pull-cord emergency stop systems allowing workers to halt the machinery quickly from any point along the line, rather than having to reach a fixed push-button station?
From a Competency perspective: Was the worker adequately trained for this workstation and machinery? Had proper risk assessments been conducted and communicated? Was the worker trained in Lockout/Tagout procedures to ensure the conveyor was safely de-energized before any maintenance or intervention work?
From a Commitment perspective: Did management conduct regular safety audits and inspections of this high-risk area? Were near-miss incidents previously reported and acted upon? Most critically, did the organisational culture prioritise production targets over worker safety?
The goal is not to assign blame but to extract lessons that prevent recurrence. Detailed, technical investigation reports serve this purpose far better than vague procedural reminders.
Safety is a Shared Responsibility
Every fatality starkly reminds us that safety leadership cannot be delegated or outsourced. It must originate with company top management and be reinforced at every operational level. Regulators, too, play a key role by ensuring investigations are not only thorough but also openly communicated.
The palm oil sector is central to Malaysia’s economy and rural livelihoods. But true sustainability extends beyond carbon footprints and certification schemes. It encompasses the dignity, health, and safety of every worker who keeps the industry running.
As we mourn yet another life lost, the industry must engage in deep reflection and decisive action. Transparency, leadership commitment, and robust safety culture are not aspirational ideals. They are fundamental pillars of an industry that values human life as much as production targets.
The question is not whether we can afford to prioritise worker safety. The question is whether we can afford not to.
About the Author EUR ING Hong Wai Onn, a chartered engineer and chartered environmentalist, is a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers and the Royal Society of Chemistry. He is also the founder of the Research Institute for Sustainable Excellence and Leadership.
