Ingenieur Vol 78 ingenieur 2019 apr (2) | Page 10

INGENIEUR BEM President expressing his views to Dato' Fong and Prof. Kannan during the interview We realise that you have put in a lot of emphasis on safety of construction during your tenure and also when you were the Director of JKR Negeri Sembilan. Would you like to elaborate on these areas? I believe in the popular tagline “Safety should not be compromised.” JKR is certified under ISO 18001 where contracts allow adequate pricing for all initiatives related to safety like safety and health measures and the Safety & Health Officer. Our products must be safe and friendly to the environment. In developed countries, they incorporate safety at the construction design stage. JKR and CIDB have encouraged local construction companies to follow this path. During your tenure, the first ever registration of Engineering Technologist and Inspector of Works as a professional recognition for their roles and responsibilities in the engineering 8 6 VOL 2019 VOL 78 55 APRIL-JUNE JUNE 2013 fraternity would have some impact in the construction industry. Would you like to share with us the current position of registration and the impact in the construction industry? From statistics I was told that there were 6,313 Engineering Technologists and 6,416 Inspector of Works registered. We gauge the role and contribution of registered Engineering Technologists to the construction industry by conducting a survey in 2018. After sending out questionnaires, 1,150 responded. The survey covered demographics, job satisfaction, constraints in securing first job, choice of professional route and additional feedback. The survey report revealed that two- thirds of respondents were not satisfied with their current employment in terms of emolument and job title. Nearly half of them earned less than RM2,000 upon graduation. Interestingly, 42% of them were employed as engineers.