THE SPREAD OF VISION ZERO

VISION ZERO has only just arrived …

In Europe, the idea of “zero accidents” did not gain ground in the development of political strategies for road safety until the 1990s. In Sweden, where the risks of the chemical industry were intensively discussed after the Seveso and Bhopal disasters, and a complete ban on the industry was briefly considered, the ministry of transport officially incorporated the basic tenets of the zero-accident philosophy into the field of road safety, coining the name “VISION ZERO”. According to a publication by the Swedish central office for road traffic, “Vision Zero is the vision of a future where no-one is killed on the roads or so seriously injured that they sustain lifelong injury.”.

Since late 2007 the German Road Safety Council (DVR) has strongly publicised VISION ZERO and promoted the new strategy. The positive response has been very pleasing.

In October 2008, the conference of transport ministers of the federal states declared: “The conference of transport ministers regards VISION ZERO as a suitable basis to serve the long-term quality aims for road safety.” Since then, the EU Commission has made a clear commitment to VISION ZERO in its white paper for a single European transport area.

The German Social Accident Insurance (DGUV) first made a clear commitment in 2008 by incorporating VISION ZERO in its principles for prevention. On 28 November 2008, the representatives of workers and employers unanimously agreed at the general meeting of the DGUV on a policy paper, whose reason for existing was contained in its title: “Prevention pays!” The new policy paper deals with the workplace, as well as educational institutions. The introduction sends a clear message: “Workplaces and educational institutions must be designed using all suitable means to prevent accidents at work, at school or on the way to and from work or school, as well as occupational diseases and work-related health risks (VISION ZERO).“

After the turn of the millennium, the new VISION ZERO strategy was taken up in numerous other countries, including Denmark, Norway, Finland, Switzerland and the UK. Outside Europe, the pioneers in implementing the VISION ZERO strategy for occupational health and safety include Singapore, New Zealand, Korea, Australia and Canada.

… and now Malaysia

In 2019, a conference named Vision Zero Malaysia 2019 organised by the Social Security Organisation of Malaysia (SOCSO) and participated by OSH professionals, employers and academicians.

The conclusion of the conference, officiated by the Honorable Minister of Human Resources at the Putrajaya International Convention Centre (PICC), Putrajaya, on the 9th - 10th July 2019, the participants, stakeholders and its representatives accepted the following resolutions:

1. Recognizing the principles of the Vision Zero and its implementation based on the "Seven Golden Rules"
2. To form a strategic plan for safety, health and wellbeing of Malaysian employees based on the following objectives:

1. Extend the reach of the strategic plan to enable the community at large to accept the concept of Vision Zero in ensuring safety, health and wellbeing in all aspects of life.
2. Enable a paradigm shift in the next generation of Malaysian that accidents are preventable, therefore no single death due to accident is acceptable.

In order to oversee and support the agenda in Malaysia, a Vision Zero Secretariat has been established to conduct and provide resources for Vision Zero partners, companies or any interested parties in Malaysia. This is in support of the secretariat for the Vision Zero Global Alliance activities and directions.

This is a platform or one of the pillars of Vision Zero to the modernization of the management and provision of relevant information that promotes prevention and workers health promotion. Apart from that, this website and the page Vision Zero PERKESO hosts trading platforms for prevention and workers health promotion to:

1. spread the concept of VISION ZERO by providing customizable tools;
2. update information rapidly at the national level;
3. identify and highlight good business practices through targeted communication campaigns;
4. thematize occupational safety and health among the general public as well as companies to bring about a change of mentality among all the actors involved.

As a conclusion, the Vision Zero Conference Malaysia 2019 had collectively agreed to the planning and operations for a sustainable strategic approach, coordinated through Vision Zero Secretariat at a national level. Recognizing that the prevention of work-related accidents is a shared responsibility, the Partners and Companies of the Vision Zero commit themselves to implement an action plan to promote, coordinate and reinvigorate workplace safety, health and wellbeing in Malaysia.