16
Wednesday, May 10, 1972
Mr. Tsui said that under the system of reporting occupational
accidents introduced during the last quarter of 1969, nurses at the four
major hospitals help by notifying his department of all such accidents,
"Of the total of 24,610 accidents for 1970, 19,571 were of a very
minor nature involving only a few days off from work. A further 2,023
were slightly more serious involving permanent disability varying from
one to five per cent. Many of these would have previously gone unnoticed
and unreported," he explained.
The coverage of the Workmen's Compensation. Ordinance was widened by
the implementation of an amendment on January 1, 1970, by raising the wage
ceiling of non-manual workers from $700 to $1,500 a month and by covering for
the first time domestic servants, agricultural workers and certain other
categories of employees previously excluded, he said.
On steps taken by Government to educate employers in matters of
industrial safety, Mr. Tsui said the Industrial Safety Training Centre conducts
industrial safety training courses, makes available films, prepares and
issues posters.
Officers of his department also give T.V. interviews on industrial
safety and related matters, he added, and safety training and education also
forms an integral part of the curriculum at technical institutions and
vocational training centres.
As regards the amount of money Government spends on promoting industrial
safety, he said this expenditure, both direct and indirect, amounted to almost
$5 million in 1971-72, and that for 1972-73 is estimated to be of a similar
order.
/Mr. Tsui said