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Wednesday, November 15, 1972

LACK OF INTEREST BY EMPLOYERS IN INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

The Commissioner of Labour, the Hon. Paul Tsui, has expressed concern

at the apparent lack of interest by employers in the promotion of industrial

safety, which he described as "an essential function of good management".

Speaking in the Legislative Council today, he said there were 638 fatal

accidents from among 51,000 people injured at work during 1970 and 1971.

"To me these figures are worrying, but I regret to say that they do

not seem to be a matter of concern to the employers at large, as reflected by

the rather discouraging response to the safety training courses offered by

the Industrial Safety Training Centre of the Labour Department," Mr. Tsui said.

He appealed to all directors and managers to take a positive interest

in the safety and health of their workers.

The Commissioner emphasised that it was only the boardrooms which had

"the influence, power and resources" to take the initiative in producing firm

policy-statements regarding safety objectives and to see that they are carried

out.

If the boards of all companies and firms in Hong Kong had done this,

"we would have advanced further along the road of promoting industrial safety".

Mr. Tsui also had a word for the workers and said that they had a

part to play in accident prevention, particularly by observing working rules

and safe practices.

He also called