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TUESDAY, DECEMBER 12, 1978
INTENS IF IED SAFETY AT WORK PUBLICITY PROGRAMME
TO START IMMEDIATELY
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THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR. NEIL HENDERSON, ANNOUNCED TODAY (TUESDAY) THAT AN INTENSIFIED LONG TERM PUBLICITY PROGRAMME ON SAFETY AT WORK WILL START IMMEDIATELY.
MR. HENDERSON WHO WAS VISITING THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL PROJECT SAID THE PROGRAMME WOULD BE AIMED AT EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES IN THE WHOLE OF HONG KONG INDUSTRY,
IT WOULD INVOLVE NEWSPAPERS AND THE GOVERNMENT INFORMATION SERVICES STREET AND PUPPET THEATRES.
TELEVISION, POSTERS, LEAFLETS,
POSTERS WILL BE SENT TO ALL REGISTERED FACTORIES AND THE THEATRES WILL HOLD LUNCH TIME AND EVENING SHOWS IN THE MAIN
INDUSTRIAL AREAS TO DRIVE THE SAFETY MESSAGE HOME.
QUOTING LAST YEAR'S FIGURES OF 136 PEOPLE KILLED IN FACTORIES AND ON CONSTRUCTION SITES AND NEARLY 37,000 INJURED SERIOUSLY ENOUGH TO BE AWAY FROM WORK FOR MORE THAN THREE DAYS, MR. HENDERSON SAID HE COULD NOT BE SATISFIED WITH THE SAFETY PERFORMANCE OF HONG KONG CONTRACTORS AND INDUSTRIALISTS AS A WHOLE.
HE SAID +MORE PEOPLE WERE INJURED IN OUR FACTORIES AND ON CONSTRUCTION SITES THAN ON THE ROADS OF HONG KONG,
+THIS PRICE IS UNACCEPTABLE AND LARGELY AVOIDABLE. QUITE APART FROM THE HUMAN SUFFERING INVOLVED IN DEATH AND INJURY, THERE IS A VERY SUBSTANTIAL FINANCIAL COST IN THE COMMUNITY.
+ IT IS OFTEN SAID THAT HONG KONG'S ONLY RESOURCE IS ITS SKILLED WORKER FORCE AND IT MAKES NO ECONOMIC SENSE TO SQUANDER THAT PRECIOUS RESOURCE. IT IS A MARK OF INDUSTRIAL INEFFICIENCY.+
MR. HENDERSON POINTED OUT THAT THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S FACTORY INSPECTORS WERE UNTIRING IN THEIR EFFORTS TO BRING HOME TO INDUSTRY ITS LEGAL AND MORAL OBLIGATIONS TO HALT THIS HEAVY TOLL BUT ADMITTED THAT THE ADVICE THEY COULD GIVE AND THE ENFORCEMENT ACTION THEY COULD TAKE WERE NECESSARILY SPREAD THINLY OVER 42,000 INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS AND 1,500 CONSTRUCTION SITES.
AFTER TOURING THE NORTH AND SOUTH PORTALS OF THE ABERDEEN TUNNEL, MR. HENDERSON PRAISED THE CONTRACTORS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PROJECT FOR USING A SAFER EXPLOSIVE - WATERGEL - INSTEAD OF DYNAMITE IN THEIR WORK.
APART FROM THE SIGNIFICANT WIDENING OF SAFETY MARGINS ACHIEVED BY USING THIS NEW EXPLOSIVE, HE SAID, IT WAS ALSO SAFER TO STORE, TRANSPORT AND TO MANUFACTURE.
MR. HENDERSON SAID THAT HE WAS PLEASED TO KNOW THAT THE MANUFACTURE OF CARTRIDGED WATERGEL WOULD START IN HONG KONG SOMETIME NEXT YEAR.
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