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The Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, is highly concerned about the recent spate of fatal accidents in manholes and incidents in which workers were seriously injured or died after falling from scaffolds.
The Labour Department has mounted a blitz to inspect drainage works and scaffold works in various districts.
Speaking at the presentation ceremony of the "Hong Kong Occupational Safety and Health Awards 2006" today (September 8), Mr Cheung said, "To ensure the safety of workers, apart from routine inspections, we carry out a series of targeted enforcement operations to a number of high-risk industries, such as renovation, maintenance, alteration and addition works as well as drainage works.
"The special operations aim to enhance the safety awareness of contractors. We would also prosecute employers and contractors who are found to have breached work safety and health laws," he said.
Mr Cheung stressed that all stakeholders should work together to reduce work accidents.
"Contractors must implement comprehensive safety management practices and comply with the relevant safety laws. Workers should cooperate with contractors to take necessary precautionary measures and use suitable personal protective equipment. This will help prevent recurrence of this kind of serious accident," he said.
Mr Cheung also expressed concern over the resurging trend of work injuries in the first quarter of this year. He urged employers and employees to work together to enhance occupational safety and health performance, to minimise the damage caused by accidents to the affected employees and their families, and to reduce losses to the economy.
In the first quarter of this year, the Labour Department recorded 10,048 cases of occupational injuries, up by 9.1% on the figure of 9,213 cases in the same period last year. The accident rate per 1,000 workers increased by 6.3% to 15.9 from 14.9 in the corresponding period last year.
In addition, the number of industrial accidents increased from 3,479 in the first quarter of last year to 3,667 in the same period this year, while the accident rate per 1,000 workers from 25.2 to 26.7, representing a rise of 5.4% and 5.9% respectively.
According to the preliminary analysis by the department, the recovery of Hong Kong's economy had led to an increase in employment and economic activity compared with the corresponding period last year. Consequently, the number of work injuries increased, Mr Cheung said.
In view of the possible financial difficulties faced by small and medium-sized building contractors in purchasing safety equipment, the department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC) jointly launched a subsidy scheme last year to help them buy fall-arresting equipment.
A subsidy of up to $3,000 is offered to employers or contractors of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to purchase a "transportable anchor device", safety harnesses and independent lifelines. All subsidised SMEs must deploy their employees to attend a related safety course which is offered free of charge. A total of 258 applications have been approved up to August this year.
On the other hand, to prevent the occurrence of accidents in confined spaces like manholes, the department and the OSHC launched a subsidy scheme for SMEs in 2004 to enhance work safety in confined spaces.
Under the scheme, a maximum grant of $10,000 is offered for SMEs to purchase gas testing equipment or to employ a recognised safety consultant to conduct a risk assessment before the start of work in a confined space. All subsidised SMEs must deploy their employees to attend a free and related training course. As at the end of August this year, a total of 113 applications have been approved for subsidies for purchasing gas testing equipment.
To further raise the occupational safety and health awareness of employees at all levels as well as to enhance their understanding of safety management, the Labour Department, the OSHC and 11 related organisations teamed up to stage the Hong Kong Occupational Safety and Health Award this year with a total of 82 organisations taking part in the event.
Ends/Friday, September 8, 2006
Issued at HKT 17:26
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