PUTRAJAYA, July 31 — A total of 2,001 factory fire cases with losses amounting to RM4.21 billion have been recorded over the past six years, said the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department (JBPM) director-general Datuk Seri Nor Hisham Mohammad.
In a statement today, he said that 222 cases were recorded as of June this year, indicating that the risk of industrial fires still requires serious attention from all parties.
He said that towards this end, the JBPM will continue to strengthen fire safety enforcement in industrial premises and expand water safety education as an effort to reduce disaster risks and protect the lives and property of the people.
“Fire safety in industrial premises is no longer just a matter of legal compliance, but has become an important factor in ensuring worker safety, the continuity of industrial operations, and the stability of the national economy,” he said in a statement today.
To strengthen compliance with fire safety aspects, he said the JBPM continues to enhance industrial premises inspection activities.
He said that a total of 1,878 factory premises were inspected in 2025 compared to 1,563 premises the previous year.
“During the same period, the number of premises issued with Fire Hazard Elimination Notices (MBK) increased from 706 premises in 2024 to 1,191 premises in 2025,” he said.
For the first six months of this year, Nor Hisham said that 945 factory premises inspections had been carried out with 637 MBK issued.
“The results of the inspection also identified 426 fire hazard cases, while 16 premises were found to have failed to comply with the issued notices,” he said.
In an effort to strengthen the culture of water safety, Nor Hisham said JBPM has also recorded positive developments through the Swimming Literacy Programme implemented nationwide.
So far, a total of 10,542 participants have been successfully trained throughout 2026, thereby putting the department on the right track to achieve the target of 50,000 participants by 2030.
“That achievement proves the very encouraging response from the community towards efforts to enhance knowledge and basic water safety skills as a step to reduce the risk of drowning deaths,” he added. — Bernama