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Commissioner for Labour Cherry Tse appealed to all stakeholders in the construction industry to observe the motto ¡§work safety is everyone¡¦s responsibility¡¨ and to strive together to achieve the ultimate goal of ¡§zero accident¡¨.
Speaking at the 11th Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme award presentation ceremony cum fun day today (March 21), Mrs Tse said that the concerted efforts of stakeholders and the Government had brought about encouraging improvements to the occupational safety performance in the construction industry in recent years.
Taking the period between 1999 and 2008 as an example, the accident rate per 1,000 workers in the construction industry had recorded a sharp decline from 198.4 in 1999 to 61.4 in 2008.
She, nevertheless, reminded that, ¡§The commencement of infrastructure projects would generate new construction works. Renovation and maintenance works is also expected to increase in the coming years as the Government launches funding schemes to subsidise the maintenance of old buildings and policy initiatives such as the mandatory building inspection scheme with a view to tackling the problem of ageing buildings.¡¨
¡§These initiatives will create jobs. They will, at the same time, pose major occupational safety and health challenges to the construction industry.¡¨
This year marks the 11th anniversary of the Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme, which was launched to raise the occupational safety and health awareness of contractors, site personnel and workers of the construction industry, as well as to honour, through an open competition, participants with good occupational safety and health performances.
The Construction Industry Safety Award Scheme is co-organised by the Labour Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Council, the Development Bureau, the Hong Kong Housing Authority, the Construction Industry Council, the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board, the Hong Kong Housing Society, 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, The Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies and the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union.
The Chairman of the Occupational Safety and Health Council, Mr Lee Kai-ming, Legislative Councillor Abraham Shek and representatives of the co-organisers also officiated at the award presentation ceremony.
The site safety competition of the award scheme recorded an entry of 177 sites, 77 sub-contractors and 124 safety teams this year.
Ends/Sunday, March 21, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:54
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