For years, Malaysian workers have only been protected by PERKESO during official working hours.
A typical employee is covered for eight hours at work, but the remaining sixteen hours of the day are left completely unprotected.
If an accident happened at home, during the weekend, while travelling with family or even while running simple errands, workers could not receive any assistance from PERKESO.
That is about to change.
The Ministry of Human Resources under YB Steven Sim has introduced Lindung 24/7, also known as the Non Work Related Accident Scheme.
It is a major expansion under the PERKESO LINDUNG programme that closes long standing gaps in social protection and ensures that workers are covered everywhere and at any time.
What is Lindung 24/7
Lindung 24/7 provides round the clock social protection for all formal workers.
Twenty four hours a day, seven days a week.
There will no longer be questions about whether an accident happened inside or outside working hours. The scheme is expected to benefit up to ten million workers by covering incidents that occur at any place and time.
Why Lindung 24/7 Matters
Modern working life is flexible. Many Malaysians now work from home, switch between hybrid schedules, run personal errands between tasks or complete assignments on the go. Risks do not disappear once workers leave the office.
At the same time, private insurance costs continue to rise. Many employees cannot afford personal accident coverage, leaving them vulnerable during the majority of their day.
Between 2018 and 31 August 2025, PERKESO received nearly thirty thousand accident claims that had to be rejected because they were classified as non work related. More than eighty percent of these incidents happened outside work hours or during travel unrelated to work.
Lindung 24/7 aims to close this gap and ensure workers are not left unprotected simply because their accident occurred at the wrong time.
The scheme protects ten million formal workers across Malaysia.
What Is Covered
Lindung 24/7 offers a wide range of benefits such as:
- Medical benefits
- Temporary or permanent disablement benefits
- Dependant benefits for death
- Funeral management benefits
- Constant attendance allowance
- Rehabilitation and education support
Examples of Real Cases That Were Previously Not Covered
PERKESO shared several genuine cases that show why Lindung 24/7 is needed. All personal information has been removed.
1. Worker on Hybrid Schedule Injured While Sending a Child to an Appointment
A worker on a hybrid schedule brought a child to a hospital appointment. While getting into the car after filling petrol, the worker slipped and fractured a foot. The claim was rejected because the incident was considered a personal errand and not work related.
2. Worker Slipped at Home
A factory operator slipped in the bathroom at home and fractured a finger. Since the accident happened outside working hours and was unrelated to work tasks, the claim could not be approved.
3. Worker Met With a Road Accident After Leaving Work Early for Personal Matters
A young worker requested to leave the office early to handle personal matters. Later in the evening, the worker was involved in a motorcycle accident while travelling with a housemate. The injury was severe but the case was classified as non work related because it took place after hours.
A New Standard for Worker Protection in Malaysia
Lindung 24/7 sets a new benchmark for social protection in the country. It strengthens and complements existing PERKESO coverage by ensuring workers are not left vulnerable outside office hours.
It is inclusive, affordable and built to support the realities of modern working life.
As Malaysia moves toward more flexible work styles, the right to protection should not depend on place or time.
Lindung 24/7 ensures that every worker is covered around the clock, supporting a safer, more resilient and more inclusive nation.
