A task force has been set up by the Human Resources Ministry to reduce occupational noise-related hearing disorders by 20% in four years.

Deputy Minister Datuk Awang Hashim said a total of 3,055 such cases were reported to the ministry last year.

“Of the 4,960 occupational disease cases we received last year, about 61.5% were occupational noise-related.

“We see this as a serious issue that needs to be addressed immediately. The enforcement task force was set up to manage the problem and will conduct checks on some 896 workplaces by April 2,” he told a press conference here after joining an operation with the task force on Wednesday (March 31).

Awang noted that a total of 588 operations were conducted by the task force between March 22 and 30 with 497 notices issued.

“We aim to reduce the number of cases by 20% in 2025 compared to the number last year,” he said.