A quarry in Keramat Pulai where a 53-year-old lorry driver was killed after a large rock fell onto his vehicle has been ordered to temporarily suspend operations.
Perak Health, Human Resources and Indian Community Affairs Committee chairman A. Sivanesan said the state Department of Occupational Safety and Health (DOSH) issued a prohibition notice and an improvement notice following a preliminary investigation.
“The investigation is currently ongoing, and the instruction at present is for the operation to be temporarily closed.
“The duration of the closure will depend on the findings of the engineer’s report,” he told reporters after visiting the quarry in Mukim Sungai Raya, Keramat Pulai, Kampung Kepayang, on Friday.
He said further investigations were being conducted under Sections 17 and 18 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act 1994 (Act 514), with legal action to be taken if any breach was uncovered.
Sivanesan said the state government viewed the incident seriously, noting that it was the third such incident reported in the state.
He added that the quarry operator was a legally registered company with a long operational history and had no record of similar incidents.
Preliminary investigations found that the victim was waiting to enter the quarry area when a boulder moved down the hillside and struck the cabin of the lorry he was driving.
Sivanesan said blasting activities had taken place in the area at about 1pm before the incident.
“However, while the vehicle was moving, there was no visible movement of rocks before the incident suddenly occurred,” he said.
The victim, identified as M. Sivakumar, was trapped inside the lorry cabin and was pronounced dead by Health Ministry medical personnel at about 5.50pm.
Sivanesan also dismissed any link between the incident and the recent earthquake reported in Gerik.
“No. There is no evidence linking the incident to the earthquake. They are separate incidents,” he said, adding that quarry operators also had their own consultants conducting separate investigations.
He said Sivakumar was insured under the Social Security Organisation (Socso), which would take the necessary steps to assist his family.
The incident was reported to have occurred on Sept 14 at about 5.15pm, with medical personnel subsequently confirming the victim’s death at the scene.
