To :

Mr. Ahmad Sahuki Bin Adbul Manaf, Managing Director, Western Digital Malaysia Berhad.

From: Kumaran s/o Subramaniam, Occupational Health Manager, Western Digital Malaysia Berhad. Date: 30th October 2012

Dear sir,

Subject: Occupational and Safety Issue in Material and Handling Department.

Salam Satu Malaysia,

With reference to the above matter, I would like to raise your attention that I have a visit to the Material and Handling Department last week and found that the safety regulation at the department fully ignored by the operators.

2. First of all, this ends we have received a few complaints and some memos from the line leaders and some operators stating that there are some issues regarding the safety hazards in Material and Handling Department. This has happened since a few months ago. And I finally managed to get down to the concern department to pay a visit to the department. The information about my visit to the department as follow: Date: 20th October 2012 Time: 2.00 pm Duration: 2 hours.

3. For your kind information, Risk on safety and health is an important issue in a company. To prevent an injury and other unknown issues regarding safety and health, the occupational safety and health issue should be concerned and minimized to acceptance. Occupational Safety and Health Assessment Series 18002 and ISO/IEC 51;1999 clarify the hazard as a potential to bring up injuries, disease, damages to things and damages to the working environment. While OHSAS 18002 elaborate risk as a combination of the factors which can cause the negative incident took place like accidents and also leakage. Depends to the place the risk of an unidentified accident able to happen will increase. 3. Im writing this report to your concern about the incidents which happened in our company when I pay visit to the material and handling department as the dates given. Because it was a surprise visit, so that I can get to know a lot of issues and things happened at the place. But to remember, the visit to the department and the issues are not just to be ignored or taken as irritated or sensible issues but to be solved. We are in Occupational Safety department are currently in a task to solve all the safety and health related issue which happened in our company lately. Its our duty to overcome the problems so that no one is injured or lost life in our company. We hope that the suggestions which will be given to you will be implemented so that the accident rate will be decreased.

4. As I mentioned above, the main aim is to reduce the level of Safety related issues in our company. A safe working place is always a dream for all. Its not only for CEOs but also for the low level operators. Should be remembered, the people who always will be injured are the operators and not the bosses. But still we consider so much of our operators health and safety conscious. The visit was taken place due to the increase of medical leave recently. For your kind information, the medical leave in material handling department was keep increasing for past four weeks. The data of the medical leaves among workers are getting higher. The table as follows:

Number Weeks 1 2 3 4 First Second Third Fourth

Presents 28 25 23 23

Absents 2 5 7 7

Total 30 30 30 30

Table 1.0 shows the number of absents among the material department workers.

30

28 25

25

23

23

20 Presents Absents

15

10 7 5 5 2 0 7

Graph 1.0 shows the numbers of medical leave among the workers.

5. I think with the clear reference on the table and chart above will clearly state the increasing number of absents among material and handling department for past a month. For your kind information, during the meeting we did manage to find out the reason for the medical leave in that department. Through the interview and CCTV recording observation we find that the accidents in material and handling department are happening without limitations. Then, we finally made decision to pay visit to material and handling department without prior notice.

6. While in the visit our few officers manage to record some statements from the staffs and snap some photos where the fault in material and handling material happened. We did checked the operators attendance for further clarification and found that the number of absents as given in the table and graph as above. And I would like to take this moment to remind the department about the letter which was sent by our safety department after receive a complaint about cart cage mishandling last month. The reference number of the letter is SHD/ 001 / MHD (2012/1). I hope you can have a look into the report as we didnt receive any reply from the department. According to the SOP (Standard of Procedure) which implemented in our company starting earlier this year, a report or query letter must be answered in 3 days for normal cases and up to seven days for huge cases. 7. After we didnt receive any reports or answers from department about the complaint, we even sent them second reminder letter to remind them about the earlier condition. The reference number is SHD / 001 / MHD (2012/1(1)). But until the end we didnt receive any update or answers from the department. It may seem to be serious because ignoring the query is wrong. But because we are in same company and we are working together to increase the company productivity, we didnt take it as a big matter. But the works does not seem to be corrected because we receive a report about another incident at material and handling department.

7. All the reasons which I explain will be better for your understanding. The incidents of events which were reported by our safety and health department are as below: On 15th February this year. We had received a report about an incident which happened at Material and Handling Department. The report was done after one of the workers was injured on her left leg after hit by cart cage. The female operator was injured because hit by cart cage when she is pulling the cart cage from BG department to TOKO oven area for operational use. For your kind information, the cart cage will cause about 7kg without anything on it. But on the incident date, the cart cage was filled in with things for the TOKO oven area. So it might cause more than 40 KG. And a lady worker who is just 21 years old is appointed to do

the work, to move the cart cage to the other department. She seems to be very thin and energy less for few days ago before the incident happened. She hurt herself on her leg and luckily no fracture happened on her leg. She has no strength to bring the cart cage down on the ramp because its heavy and the ramp are too steep. It has caused the worker unable to control the cart cage and hit her leg. The second case happened on 14th April 2012 around 9.00 am. The second issue doesnt cause any injury but it has been listed as a case for your department because the Safety and Health department define it as a serious problem. The problem is the left wheel of the cart cage is locked for three days. The left wheel is locked because the pin was lost. We received this report from PC area KESM at 9.00 am. At material and handling department, all the belongings are the properties of company. And there is a manager for your department to care of the stocks and things. So if anything happened to the materials at the department it should be reported and action should be taken. But in this case, the cart cage without lock is just left for operation.

The third case which happened at the same Material and Handling Department is, leg injured for a male worker. The injury happened because the male worker who is 30s never use his two hands while handling the cart cage. Although we can define it as careless and he cause it on his own, but the failure of department to look into your department operators are should be blamed. The scenario is like this, while moving the cart cage to PC area KESM at 9.00 am, the cart cage wheel stuck and it make the operator to fall. Its mainly because he cannot control the cart cage while on the ram.

The fourth case happened while two lady workers brought the cart cage to the TOKO oven area. It happens to be a similar case as above but there are no injuries but in this case one of the ladies injured on her foot toe. The cart cage stuck during the operation at the C16 ram. Moreover, the lady operators who injured he toe is just simply ride the cart cage with one hand. When her friend asks her to

stop the cart cage, unfortunate she couldnt stop the cart cage and it caused injury. From that incident she took two days medical leave.

8. Following all reports that have been collected from the department and reports from the other departments, we have decided to run into the Material and Handling department for further check up. After all clearance we found that, the number of accidents happened at the department is keep increasing since February. As we explain earlier, according to the safety and health rules and regulations of our company, we should let any accidents happened. But accidents can be classified as a thing which happened unexpectedly. So we are in safety and health department just going to discuss with you the lost and way to overcome the problems to keep the material and handling department zero accident

9. For your kind information, now we are facing some serious problems in our company because of these kinds of accidents. For your knowledge the problems are increasing number of leave, increasing of the claims, decreasing in the production, medical leave trend, and careless about of the company belongings. Below is the description of the problems in details:

INCREASING NUMBER OD MEDICAL LEAVE o First problem which leads the company to aware about the accidents is the increasing number of medical leave among the operators. The decreasing in attendance is reported by the line managers to their superiors. Later after a clear picture the cases are forwarded to us in safety and health department for further query. The diagram given above is just a clear statement of a month. But this problem is not a short term problem, but its happening since last March. o We decided to look into this problem clearly and made a attendance graph to prove that the number of attendance in your department is keep decreasing and its mainly medical leaves. The graph is as follow:

40 35 30 25 20 15 10 5 0 TOTAL WORKERS ATTENDANCE ABSENTS

o As you can view clearly the graph which is given above, you can conclude that the number of medical leave keep increasing from month to month. Reducing attendance and increasing medical leave is new in our company. We have recorded no leave for several years. We even appreciated by some international association, because we could create a non-leave working environment in our company. We were formerly appreciated by our partner WD (THAI) Berhad, Thosiba (Singapore) Sdn. Bhd and some other companies.

DECLINING IN PRODUCTION o As you know, the safety and health problems in our company have started to play a big role in other departments than Material and Handling Department. So far, because the operators blatantly ignoring the safety regulation in our company mainly at their working area, the number of production is keep decreasing. The workers who are working at Material

and Safety department unable to process things and needed material to the other sight like TOKO oven area and others. . o It caused the number of production in other department reduced slightly. Although the number is not so high, but it should be considered because even small number can play role. We in Safety and Health department could seriously analyze the number because we dont want the number of medical leave because of the small injuries could lead to the reduction in productivity.

MEDICAL LEAVE TREND o Other than that, these problems also had started to create a medical leave trend. The number of workers who are working in Material and Handling department does not follow the rules and regulations in the department. So that, they always involved in small injuries. That able them to get off for that day. o Other than them, there are some workers who are simply involving themselves into accidents and claiming medical leave. We have noticed that trend in Material and Handling department. There are two workers who are just claiming that their foot toe is injured during the job to handle cart cage. But the wound couldnt be seen clearly. Although medical leave had been passed for them, but the incident couldnt be clearly stated. So if this the way to get off from works, then they will use these methods.

CARELESS ABOUT COMPANY BELONGISNGS. o In addition, the number of cart cage fault is keeping increasing. Other than that, even there are some other things in the department such as the lock for cart cage, the number of spanners and other things in material and

handling department are keep decreasing. Because the operators are not having any interest on the company belongings, the operators are mainly does not bothered about the things which are provided by the company. So that, they never intend to save or take good care of the things from our company.

10. In concern of the losses on our site, we hope that you can agree with the actions which will be proposed by us to save our company from any further lose in this industry. For your knowledge, our company is standing strength for a few years. I think that, we should discuss seriously to overcome the problems to maintain our good name in this industry. It's really very important to protect our company. The actions which we discussed in our meeting and decide are as below:

PROPOSAL OF ACTIONS o Wearing safety boots while in works also considered to be an important action to overcome all the problems which is listed at the top. There are few cases which is reported caused injuries on the workers foot toe. While investigating, the worker who is working in the company stated that he only wears slippers. That causes the injury on the foot toe. So it is highly recommended for the operators and other workers even superior workers to wear safety boot while in working area. o The second suggestion is the line leaders should only allows man operators to operate the cart cage. Two accidents are involved female operators and its found that they are not strong enough to handle the cart cage. To prevent continues accidents involving the cart cage, the man workers should be handling the cart cage. It will reduce the number of accidents.

o Other than that, the Material and Handling department should do On hand rehearsal for the operators. The on hand rehearsal should be ways to use cart cage safely. With giving them the on hand rehearsal on the proper way to handle the cart cage, the number of accidents will reduce. o While other way to reduce the number of accidents is to use only good condition cart cages. In my opinion there are few cart cages which has fault and it might cause the operators involved in accidents and cause injuries. Company should take action needed to replace the cart cages with fault. Or the department might send the cart cage to the vendor for a fix or replacement. It might also reduce the number of accidents in company. The supervisor also must ensure that the numbers of cart cage which will be used are in good condition. o Lastly, there should be a signage at the ram to state the downward and upward of the ram. So that, the operators will be more careful when they are bringing the cart cage down the ram. 11. As a conclusion, Im as the Occupational Health Manager would like to state that, to reduce the number of leaves and decreasing number of production, all the steps which is given above should be handled. Its our responsibility to maintain our good reputation and quality in production. It will safe our work and also the safety and health of our operators who are working harder for company goodness.

12. Moreover, we will give a chance where it will be, if sir as the managing Director has other proposals of action which can be done to protect our company, you may write it to us so that we will be able to consider it. We hope that you will write us the proposal after consider the damages happened to our company in recent days. Our company will consider your proposals without any hesitance. Other than that, we promise to make all

the moves to make sure that any actions taken by us will not harm anyone but will protect our company.

13. Again I would like to thank you for your support and commitment towards our problems and thanks in advance for your future action which will save us. We will be on your side to support all your actions.

Thank you so much. With regards, (NAME) Total words: 3156 words.

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