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Following is a question by the Hon Tang Ka-piu and a reply by the Secretary for Labour and Welfare, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, in the Legislative Council today (November 12):
Question:
It has been reported that industrial accidents occurred incessantly at the construction sites of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge related local projects (the HZMB projects) since their commencement in 2009, including cases occurring this year in which several workers died after falling into the sea and one in which several workers fell from a collapsed working platform. Some trade unions have expressed worries that the contractors may neglect industrial safety in a bid to catch up with works progress to meet the target of completing HZMB in 2016. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) in each year since 2009, of a breakdown of the number of industrial accidents related to the HZMB projects by accident type, the resultant casualties, the causes and injury rate of such accidents, and how such rate compares to that of the industrial accidents of the construction sector throughout Hong Kong; the respective numbers of regular and surprise inspections conducted at the construction sites of the HZMB projects, the respective numbers and a breakdown of suspension notices and improvement notices issued, and the number of prosecutions instituted against contractors under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, by the Labour Department (LD); and the total fines imposed on contractors;
(2) of the monitoring measures put in place by LD to ensure the safety of the medium-risk and high-risk processes for the HZMB projects, such as work-at-height, lifting operations, operation of heavy plant and machinery and work-at-height above sea level; whether the authorities will review the legislation governing the relevant work processes; if they will, of the timetable; if not, the reasons for that; and
(3) whether it knows if the current progress and costs of the HZMB projects are on target; if there are delays in the HZMB projects, whether contractors have required their workers to work overtime to catch up with the works progress; if they have, of the average duration of overtime work that workers (including imported labour) need to perform each week; what measures the authorities have put in place to ensure sufficient rest time for workers so as to prevent the occurrence of industrial accidents?
Reply:
President,
The related local projects of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HZMB) include the Hong Kong Boundary Crossing Facilities (HKBCF), the Hong Kong Link Road (HKLR) and the Tuen Mun - Chek Lap Kok Link (TM-CLKL) (thereafter referred to as "HZMB local projects"). The HKBCF, the HKLR and the TM-CLKL commenced construction in 2011, 2012 and 2013 respectively. The Labour Department (LD) has been closely monitoring the occupational safety and health (OSH) performance of the projects. LD will take immediate enforcement actions if the contractors concerned are found to have breached OSH legislation.
My reply to the question raised by the Hon Tang Ka-piu is as follows:
(1) Since the commencement of work on the HZMB local projects in Hong Kong from 2011 up to the first half of 2014, there were two fatalities and 44 injuries. The breakdown by year and type of accidents is set out at Table 1. LD does not keep the accident rates of individual construction works projects. The statistics about inspections conducted and prosecutions taken by LD related to the projects from their commencement to the present are set out at Table 2.
(2) Contractors engaged in high-risk processes on construction sites, such as work-at-height, lifting operations and heavy plant operation, shall, in accordance with the requirements of OSH legislation, provide and maintain safe plant and system of work, including regular inspection of working platforms and machinery, arrangement for qualified persons to undertake these activities, and provision of the necessary information, instruction, training and supervision for workers. LD will, through inspections and enforcement, scrutinise whether the contractors have complied with these occupational safety requirements, and from time to time launch special enforcement operations, targeting higher-risk processes. Through stepping up liaison with the project proponents, LD urges the contractors concerned to strengthen site safety management systems, monitoring of work safety and safety audits, etc. with a view to enhancing occupational safety. Besides, the Government attaches importance all along to enhancing the safety performance of public works projects through enhancing safety management systems at public works sites, effective monitoring of contractors' safety performance, and implementing a merit and demerit system as well as organising site safety promotional activities in collaboration with the stakeholders of the construction industry.
As regards the work safety of marine construction works, the Marine Department (MD) advises that responsible persons of such works are required by the relevant legislation regulating local vessels to provide suitable protective clothing and equipment to workers working on vessels, and to ensure the provision of sufficient rescue equipment on board. Under the relevant OSH legislation, LD requires employers to assess the risk of undertaking construction works adjacent to or over water, and make available necessary safety equipment and rescue equipment. Besides, MD and LD have formulated "Code of Practice" respectively in respect of the relevant regulations, and will check the compliance of employers during inspections.
LD and other relevant government departments will continue to review from time to time the aforesaid regulatory system and enforcement mode and will seek to further enhance the work safety of high-risk processes through issuing guidelines, updating code of practice or revising regulations as necessary.
(3) According to the Transport and Housing Bureau, the HZMB contains two parts. One is the HZMB Main Bridge and the other is the link roads and boundary crossing facilities constructed by the three sides separately. The Highways Department is responsible for implementing the HZMB related local projects, which include the HKBCF, the HKLR and the TM-CLKL. At the moment, the HKLR and the HKBCF projects are being actively implemented to match with the targeted commissioning date of the HZMB Main Bridge. The TM-CLKL is also being implemented in full steam, with its Southern Connection targeted for commissioning in tandem with the HZMB Main Bridge. These various projects are facing different challenges during the construction stage. The contractors adopted different methods to overcome the challenges involved. The Government has been reviewing the implementation of the projects with a view to overcoming and tackling the difficulties concerned in a timely manner.
According to the records provided by the contractors to the Highways Department, at the moment, workers (including imported workers) of each project are required to work overtime for about four hours per week on average. The contractors will ensure adequate rest time at appropriate places for their workers during their work time, including overtime.
Regarding rest break arrangements for workers, employers shall, in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, ensure so far as reasonably practicable the safety and health of their employees at work. LD issued the "Guide on Rest Breaks" to put across the importance of providing employees with suitable rest breaks.
Ends/Wednesday, November 12, 2014
Issued at HKT 17:03
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