THE Penang government will have a technical meeting with the authorities concerned to seek approval to install a safety net along the 13.5km Penang Bridge to prevent people from falling into the sea.

State Environment and Welfare Committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said any attachment to the bridge will need approval from the technical committee as it is a public structure.

“We will have a meeting this afternoon with the state secretary and representatives from the relevant authorities. We will discuss plans to install a safety net,” he told reporters at the Penang state legislative assembly building in George Town today.

Phee said closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras capable of capturing clear audio and video are also among the suggestions presented earlier during a meeting with representatives from the relevant agencies such as the Penang Bridge operator, PLUS Malaysia Bhd, the police and medical experts.

He said putting the net and installing CCTV cameras are only part of the measures to be taken, with the most important being the human-to-human connection, especially with regard to mental health and dealing with stress.

“Our strategy is also to look into the possibility of providing training to our Village Community Management Council and the Penang Bridge emergency response team on psychology and mental health skills, in the hope that they can help,” he said.

Phee said Penang has various suicide prevention programmes and mobile psychiatric services to help prevent suicide cases.

“We have identified the three main reasons for suicide cases. They are relationships – especially family relationship problems – financial challenges and health issues,” he said.

Last month, there were nine such cases reported at the Penang Bridge with five fatalities.

The latest involved a man who is believed to have fallen into the sea at Km2.2 of the bridge at about 6am today. – Bernama, June 1, 2022.