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THURSDAY, DECEMBER 17, 1981
FIRST SAFETY SEMINAR FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS
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THE FIRST-EVER SAFETY SEMINAR ORGANISED SOLELY FOR CONSTRUCTION WORKERS WAS OFFICIALLY OPENED TODAY (THURSDAY) BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR J.N. HENDERSON.
ADDRESSING THE 300 PARTICIPANTS AT THE ONE-DAY SEMINAR AT THE CINESE MCA AT WATERLOO ROAD, HE SAID THAT THE OCCASION ENABLED PARTICIPANTS TO EXCHANGE VIEWS ON CONSTRUCTION SAFETY, AND SERVED TO SHO* THE SUPPORT OF ALL FOR THE PROMOTION OF THE VOLUNTARY SAFETY MOVEMENT IN THE INDUSTRY,
HE POINTED OUT THAT ACCIDENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY HAD INCREASED IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, CLIMBING FROM 14 738 (INCLUDING 80 DEATHS) IN 1978 TO THE ALARMING FIGURE OF 18 319
INCLUDING 88 DEATHS) IN 1980.
THE CONSTRUCTION WORKFORCE HAD ALSO GROWN FROM 68 601 IN 1978 TO 84 395 IN 1980, SO THAT IN THE PAST THREE YEARS THE ACCIDENT RATE PER 1 000 PEOPLE EMPLOYED ON CONSTRUCTION SITES WAS ABOUT 215, AND TWO KILLED IN EVERY WORKING WEEK.
MR HENDERSON SAID THAT THE TOLL IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY NOW ACCOUNTED FOR ABOUT 40 PER CENT OF ALL INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS.
ACCIDENTS WERE COSTLY, HE SAID.
+APART FROM DAMAGE TO PLANT, DISRUPTION TO PROGRESS OF WORK, LOSS OF SKILLED AND IRREPLACEABLE WORKERS AND OTHER INVISIBLE COSTS, A TOTAL OF $12 823 226 WAS PAID OUT LAST YEAR IN COMPENSATION FOR WORKERS INJURED OR KILLED ON CONSTRUCTION SITE, HE SAID.
THIS CONSTITUTED ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF THE TOTAL COMPENSATION ($39 278 315) PAID OUT IN RESPECT OF ALL OCCUPATIONAL ACCIDENTS IN 1980.
MR HENDERSON SAID THE LOSS OF HUMAN LIVES, LIMBS, EYES, ETC..
IS INTOLERABLE. HONG KONG'S ONLY NATURAL RESOURCE IS ITS WORKERS. THERE IS NO SENSE IN WASTING THIS RESOURCE.+
HE SAID THAT THERE MIGHT BE GREY AREAS IN WHICH THE LAW WAS NOT SUFFICIENTLY SPECIFIC OR NOT PROPERLY SPELLED OUT BUT THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT WAS PREPARING A NUMBER OF NECESSARY AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITES (SAFETY) REGULATIONS IN ORDER TO REMOVE THE INADEQUACIES.
BUT LEGISLATION ALONE WOULD NOT SOLVE OUR PROBLEM, HE SAID.
+THE PREVENTION OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IS NOT THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT ALONE. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF ALL CONCERNED.+
A CONSTRUCTION WORKER, MP HO CHI-SHING WHO ESCAPED DEATH DURING AN ACCIDENT AT A CONSTRUCTION SITE, GAVE A PERSONAL ACCOUNT
OF HOW HE WAS SAVED BY THE SAFETY BELT HE WAS WEARING WHILE WORKING AT HE IGHTS.
/SPEAKER