THURSDAY, JANUARY 23, 1975
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SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENT URGED
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THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR. IAN PRICE, TODAY CALLED UPON NEWLY-TRAINED INDUSTRIAL SAFETY OFFICERS TO HELP CREATE A NEW INDUSTRIAL CLIMATE IN WHICH MANAGEMENT WOULD GAIN A KEEN AWARENESS OF THE OVERWHELMING NEED, BOTH IN ECONOMIC AND HUMAN TERMS, FOR A SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENT,
THE 20 NEW SAFETY OFFICERS, WHO CAME FROM A WIDE CROSS- SECTION OF INDUSTRY, HAVE JUST SUCCESSFULLY COMPLETED A FULL TIME SIX-WEEK INTENSIVE TRAINING COURSE, AND WERE AWARDED CERTIFICATES AS INDUSTRIAL SAFETY OFFICERS.
THE COURSE WAS THE 500TH CONDUCTED BY THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S INDUSTRIAL SAFETY TRAINING CENTRE AND CONSISTED OF BOTH THEORETICAL AND PRACTICAL TRAINING, COUPLED WITH ACCIDENT CASE STUDIES AND FACTORY VISITS.
GUEST
IT WAS CONDUCTED BY SAFETY AND HEALTH EXPERTS FROM THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT, WAS DESIGNED TO PROVIDE AN IN-DEPTH STUDY OF ACCIDENT PREVENTION AND SAFETY MANAGEMENT TECHNIQUES. LECTURERS FROM THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT, MEDICAL AND MEALTH DEPARTMENT, THE HONG KONG POLYTECHNIC AND INDUSTRY ALSO TOOK PART.
SPEAKING AT THE PRESENTATION CEREMONY, MR. PRICE TOLD THE SAFETY OFFICERS TO PUT INTO PRACTICE WHAT THEY HAD LEARNED AND TO CONVINCE THOSE AROUND THEM THEIR EMPLOYERS, THEIR COLLEAGUES, THE WORKERS OF THE RIGHTNESS OF THEIR CASE.
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+IT IS MANAGEMENT'S RESPONSIBILITY TO ENSURE THAT THOSE WHO HAVE HAD THE BENEFIT OF EXPERT TRAINING ARE ALLOWED TO USE THEIR KNOWLEDGE AND PASS IT ON TO OTHERS WITH WHOM THEY WORK. HE SAID. +IN THIS WAY SAFETY BECOMES AN IN-BUILT FACTOR IN THE WORK PLACE.+
MR. PRICE SAID IT WAS NO GOOD SIMPLY PAYING LIP SERVICE TO SAFETY. +1 SUSPECT THAT THERE IS OFTEN TOO MUCH TALK ABOUT INDUSTRIAL SAFETY, AND NOT ENOUGH ACTUALLY DONE ABOUT IT.+
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LAST YEAR, HE NOTED, 234 PEOPLE HAD BEEN KILLED AND ANOTHER 30,780 INJURED IN WORK ACCIDENTS IN HONG KONG. IN 1973, THE NUMBER KILLED WAS 304 AND INJURIES AMOUNTED TO 30,214.
*AT FIRST GLANCE THE SITUATION WOULD APPEAR TO HAVE IMPROVED SLIGHTLY, AT LEAST IN ONE DIRECTION. THE NUMBER OF DEATHS HAS DECREASED. THIS IS AN ENCOURAGING AND HOPEFUL SIGN, BUT THE INJURY RATE HAS CONTINUED ITS UPWARD CLIMB AND THIS IS DISAPPOINTING.+
HE ADDED : +A MORE COMPREHENSIVE STUDY OF THE ACCIDENT STATISTICS MUST BE MADE BEFORE ANY FINAL CONCLUSION CAN BE REACHED.+
/BUT HE SUGGESTED