CHRA Assessor in Malaysia: How to Check One and What Sets the Cost

Who can carry out a CHRA in Malaysia?

Only an assessor registered with DOSH. USECHH 2000 defines an assessor as an employee or other person appointed by the employer and registered with the Director General to assess risks to health; regulation 11 requires an assessor to conduct every assessment. Act 514 lists chemical health risk assessment as a registered competent person activity.

The Malay text of the regulations calls this person a pengapit. DOSH registers Malaysian citizens certified fit by an occupational health doctor, with no conviction under Act 514, through five qualification routes, each including a pass in the CHRA assessor examination. Registration must stay valid until the assessment ends (CHRA Manual 1.6.2). For when a CHRA is required, see our CHRA guide.

How do you check that a CHRA assessor is registered?

Ask for the assessor’s full name and DOSH registration number, then search for them on the myKKP Competent Person (Individual) search page, linked from DOSH’s Approval and Authorization List. Confirm that the registration covers the assessment dates and that the report will include the same number and a valid competency slip.

1. On dosh.gov.my, open the Approval and Authorization List, then select Competent Person (Individual) to open the myKKP search page.
2. Search the name or registration number. If no record appears, ask for the registration certificate and confirm with DOSH before you sign.
3. In the report, check the reference number: it contains the assessor’s registration number, the year and a serial number (CHRA Manual 11.1).

What sets the cost of a CHRA?

Cost is determined by your scope, as DOSH does not publish a standard fee schedule. The assessor’s workload increases with the number of chemicals hazardous to health in your register, the work units that use or release them, the workers and shifts involved, the number of sites, and whether this is a first CHRA or a review.

A generic CHRA needs a DOSH pre-approval letter and at least five similar workplaces under the same management (generic CHRA guide 4.1). A change review is appended to your last report; the triggers are in our CHRA guide.

What should a CHRA report contain?

The DOSH manual sets a minimum report structure: title page, executive summary, table of contents, introduction, process and work unit description, methodology, findings, discussion, recommendations, references and appendices. The title page states the assessor’s name and registration number, and the report is due within one month of completing the assessment (regulation 12).

• Title page: report reference, submission date, the assessor’s name and registration number, and your company details (11.1).
• Findings per work unit: level of risk and adequacy of existing controls (11.7).
• SMART recommendations, including exposure monitoring and medical surveillance, each with an action priority (11.9).
• Appendices: Forms A to D, layout plan, process flowchart and the assessor’s valid competency slip (11.11).

What should you ask before choosing a CHRA assessor?

Ask every provider for the same six details: a named registered assessor, the scope, the method, the team, the report structure and the handover process. Every registered assessor works to the same regulations and manual, these details demonstrate suitability, and quotes that omit or alter them cannot be compared like for like.

What usually follows a CHRA, and what is priced separately?

The CHRA provides recommendations; your organisation must implement them. Regulation 14 allows one month after receiving the report to act on required controls. Exposure monitoring, health surveillance, training and engineering works are separate items handled by distinct competent persons, so budget for them when approving the CHRA.

Where a Schedule II chemical requires monitoring, monitoring must be repeated at intervals of not more than six months (regulation 26(2)): see our CEM guide. OSHMed coordinates medical surveillance through our occupational health doctor service, with tests carried out and billed by our partner clinic; see our surveillance guide and training page.

What does it cost to delay or skip a CHRA?

More than the assessment. USECHH 2000 sets no penalty of its own, so the general penalty in section 51 of Act 514 applies: a fine of up to RM100,000, up to one year in prison, or both, plus up to RM2,000 a day for a continuing offence. Directors and managers can be charged with the company (section 52).

An unregistered person who carries out a CHRA faces a fine of up to RM100,000 (section 31B). Breaching the section 18B duty to assess risk and implement controls carries a fine of up to RM500,000, up to two years in prison, or both (section 19): see our section 18B guide.

OSHMED Solutions Sdn Bhd, based in Kajang, Selangor, serves employers across Malaysia and quotes in writing. Through our assessment services, a CHRA is carried out by a DOSH-registered assessor, as the law requires, and ends with a written report. Every report names the responsible registered assessor and their myKKP registration number, so you can verify it on the DOSH register.

Before you decide: three common objections

Three objections come up when employers review CHRA quotes: using the in-house safety officer, taking the lowest total, and trusting the old report. Each is checked below against USECHH 2000, Act 514 and the DOSH manual, so the decision rests on the rules.

"Our safety and health officer can do it."

Only if the officer is also registered with DOSH as an assessor (regulation 11). Section 31B makes unregistered assessment an offence.

"We will just take the lowest quote."

Compare scope first. If a quote leaves out work units, the skin route or the presentation of findings, the assessment may need repeating.

"Our last CHRA is still valid."

A significant change, such as a new chemical or failing control equipment, triggers a review regardless of the report’s age (regulation 10).

Frequently asked questions

Your next step

Fill in the scope builder above, or send your chemical register, work units, headcount and sites. OSHMed will reply with a written CHRA quote.

Other assessments on the same site? See our noise risk assessment cost guide and ergonomic risk assessment price guide.

Sources and references

Disclaimer: This article is general information for employers and is not legal advice. Requirements depend on your workplace, processes and the current law. For a decision on your premises, speak to a DOSH-registered competent person or contact DOSH (JKKP).