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Following is a question by the Hon Poon Siu-ping and a written reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (November 21):
Question:
Will the Government inform this Council of:
(a) the numbers of occupational injuries and deaths since January this year, and their respective breakdowns by industry; and
(b) the annual number of prosecutions instituted by the authorities against employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (Cap. 509), the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap. 59) and the relevant subsidiary legislation since 2010, with a breakdown by the charges laid, the numbers of injuries and deaths involved and the court judgments; the general and the maximum penalties imposed on employers for various offences by the court?
Reply:
President,
My reply to the Hon Poon Siu-ping's question is set out below:
(a) The number of industrial injury and fatal cases in the first half of 2012, and the respective breakdowns by industry are as follows:
Industry No. of No. of
Section injured deaths
persons
Construction 1 463 7
¡@ Manufacturing 972 0
Industrial Food and Beverage 3 063 0
Accidents Services
Others 640 0
Total 6 138 7
Note:
Industrial accident statistics are released on a quarterly basis and the latest available statistics are up to the first half of 2012. The industrial accident statistics for the first three quarters of 2012 will be released in January 2013.
As at November 14, 2012, the provisional number of industrial fatal cases was 23, including 21 cases in the construction industry, one case in the food and beverage services and one case in other industries.
(b) In 2010 and 2011, the number of prosecutions brought against employers, contractors and proprietors, etc. under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and their subsidiary regulations and the sentences of the court are set out below:
2010 2011
Total no. of summonses heard 1 787 1 703
Total no. of summonses convicted 1 528 1 447
The average fine and the highest fine for the common categories of offences are as follows:
2010 2011
Offence Average Highest Average Highest
fine fine fine fine
Failure to $14,920 $120,000 $14,368 $50,000
provide and
maintain safe
plant and
system of work
(Maximum
statutory
fine:$500,000)
Failure to $14,387 $50,000 $14,230 $56,000
take
adequate steps
to prevent person
from falling
from a height
(Maximum
statutory
fine:$200,000)
Ends/Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Issued at HKT 11:43
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