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The Labour Department expects more opportunities in the construction industry following the Chief Executive's announcement to embark on 10 major infrastructure projects in the Policy Address and calls on employers and employees in the construction industry to remain vigilant about occupational safety and health to prevent a rebound of industrial accident rate.
The appeal was made by Deputy Commissioner (Occupational Safety and Health), Mrs Erika Hui, at the award presentation ceremony of the Construction Safety Award Scheme today (March 30). She also revealed that the number of industrial accidents and the accident rate for thousand workers in the construction industry in the first three quarters of 2007 had seen a downward trend, dropping by 10.9% and 5.1 per cent respectively to 2,313 cases and 61.4 compared with the same period in 2006.
She pointed out that the construction industry would play an important role in implementing the ten large-scale infrastructure projects. "The construction industry is a high-risk industry with more accidents when compared with other trades. Employers, employees and society have to bear the heavy costs of industrial accidents including compensations, delays in works and other non-quantifiable prices such as damage to staff morale and the company's image. Above all, the victims and their families have to suffer from the pain of their injuries and deaths, loss of working ability and impact on their livelihood," she said.
She stressed that the Government would continue to promote a culture for respect of occupational safety through legislation and enforcement, training and education, as well as publicity and promotion, citing the Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme as one of such attempts. Mrs Hui encouraged all in the construction sector to enhance work safety and health with the winning slogans for this years' Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme, "Fasten your safety belt and be alert when working at height" and "Know occupational safety well and put it in practice for the benefit of all".
According to Labour Department's statistical figures, a large proportion of industrial accidents involved repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works and work at height. The Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council had therefore jointly launched in 2005 a sponsorship scheme to help small-and-medium-sized enterprises to acquire fall arresting equipment for renovation and maintenance work with a ceiling of $4,000.
The Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme is co-organised by the Labour Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Council, the Development Bureau, the Housing Authority, the Construction Industry Council Training Academy, the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board, the Hong Kong Construction Association, the Hong Kong General Building Contractors Association, the Hong Kong Construction Sub-Contractors Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Electrical and Mechanical Contractors Limited and the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union.
The award scheme has a record entry of 131 sites, 51 sub-contractors and 93 safety teams this year. There were also 3,771 entries for the slogan competition under the award scheme.
Ends/Sunday, March 30, 2008
Issued at HKT 14:30
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