Thursday, September 27, 1973
9
BUILDING CONTRACTORS URGED TO HELP REDUCE ACCIDENT RATE
***
The Commissioner of Labour, Mr. I.R. Price, today expressed grave
concern about the safety of workers in the building construction industry
and urged the contractors to take positive action to reduce the present
alarming accident rate.
The appeal was contained in a letter sent to some 1,824 registered
contractors of the building industry to remind them of their obligations
under the new Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations.
The regulations
designed to safeguard the health and improve the
welfare of workers employed on construction sites were passed by the
Legislative Council on August 1, 1973, and will come into effect on May 1
next year.
They place considerable legal obligations upon a contractor or,
where there is more than one contractor, upon the principal contractor.
In his letter, Mr. Price pointed out that in 1972, accidents on
construction sites caused injury to 4,435 workers, and killed 65.
All these accidents resulted in great losses in terms of workmen's
compensation, temporary stoppages of work and the services of skilled
workers who are difficult and expensive to replace," he said.
Beyond these economic losses, he added, there was the immeasurable
suffering caused to the injured or to the dependants and families of deceased
workers.
/Mr. Price
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