TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1988
5
PAYMENT OF DANGEROUS DUTIES ALLOWANCE NOT JUSTIFIED
THE GOVERNMENT HAS INFORMED THE ASSOCIATION OF GOVERNMENT LAND AND ENGINEERING SURVEYING OFFICERS THAT THEIR REQUEST FOR A DANGEROUS DUTIES ALLOWANCE FOR SURVEY OFFICERS, (LAND) AND (ENGINEERING), COULD NOT BE GRANTED.
THE CONCLUSION THAT SUCH AN ALLOWANCE WAS NOT JUSTIFIED UNDER EXISTING DEFINITION AND CRITERIA WAS REACHED FOLLOWING A SERIES OF INSPECTION VISITS CARRIED OUT BY THE CIVIL SERVICE BRANCH FROM MID-AUGUST TO EARLY SEPTEMBER TO SEE BOTH STREAMS OF SURVEY OFFICERS UNDERTAKING FIELD SURVEY WORK.
A TOTAL OF 60 SITE VISITS WERE MADE DURING THE INSPECTIONS, 32 IN RESPECT OF SURVEY OFFICERS (LAND) AND 28 IN RESPECT OF SURVEY OFFICERS (ENGINEERING).
"DURING THE INSPECTIONS, IT WAS NOTED THAT, TYPICALLY, SURVEY WORK HAD TO BE CARRIED OUT IN RURAL AREAS, ON ROOF TOPS, SLOPES AND RETAINING WALLS, ON ROADSIDES, IN UNDERGROUND TUNNELS AND IN CONTAINER TERMINALS," A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN SAID TODAY (TUESDAY).
AS "IT WAS ALSO NOTED THAT THE CONDUCT OF FIELD SURVEYS,
WITH ANY OTHER OUTDOOR WORK, INVOLVED CONSIDERABLE PHYSICAL EFFORT AND STAMINA.
"AT TIMES, THE SURVEY OFFICERS HAD ΤΟ TAKE PRECAUTIONARY MEASURES AND EXERCISE DUE CARE IN CARRYING OUT THEIR DUTIES.
PART OF
AND
"HOWEVER, AS OUTDOOR FIELD SURVEY WORK IS AN INHERENT
AND THE GENERAL DUTIES OF SURVEY OFFICERS (LAND)
(ENGINEERING), AS OFFICERS HAVE BEEN SPECIFICALLY TRAINED AND EMPLOYED TO UNDERTAKE WORK SUCH WORK AS PART OF THEIR GENERAL DUTIES, THE RANGE OF OUTDOOR UNDERTAKEN AS OBSERVED THROUGH THE JOB INSPECTIONS CANNOT AS BE REGARDED AS EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS,
"
HE SAID.
A WHOLE
THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT UNDER CIVIL SERVICE REGULATIONS, DANGEROUS DUTIES ALLOWANCES WERE ONLY PAYABLE TO
EXCEPTIONALLY DANGEROUS OR HAZARDOUS DUTIES WHICH IN THE WORK OF THEIR GRADE OR RANK.
WERE
OFFICERS NOT INHERENT
FOR
/IN PRACTICE,