XN000022-1973-01-18 — Page 7

- 6

-

Thursday, January 18, 1973

ACCIDENTS ON BUILDING CONSTRUCTION SITES

Four Killed And Over 200 Injured Last Month

A total of 267 workers were injured and four killed in December,

1972 on building construction and sites of civil engineering construction,

according to reports received by the Labour Department.

of this 32 were the result of "falling objects" of which two were fatal.

Mr. A.H. Carter, the Industrial Safety Training Officer of the

Labour Department, said: "Over the last nine months, six people have died

and over 468 have been injured as the result of being struck by falling objects

ranging from nuts and bolts to a plank."

He said: "Many of these accidents could have been avoided if proper

working platforms had been provided together with suitable receptacles to store

small items and tools. Larger items should have been safely secured."

Mr. Carter stressed that poor housekeeping was an obvious contributory

factor to accidents involving falling objects. Debris, scrap items and the

like should never be thrown to the ground, but instead they should be lowered

in properly constructed containers or by means of a chute.

"The wearing of a safety helmet would certainly reduce the severity of

the injury sustained by the worker in the event of an accident," he continued.

"Management and workers should work together to achieve safe working

conditions with a view to reducing the number of accidents,

" he added.

17