XN000022-1973-07-04 — Page 18

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NEW SAFETY REGULATIONS SOON

Wednesday, July 4, 1973

AN

Comprehensive new regulations will shortly be introduced to provide

adequate safety standards in the construction industry.

The Commissioner of Labour, the Hon. Paul K.C. Tsui, disclosed

this in the Legislative Council today when moving the second reading of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Amendment) Bill 1973 vid paves the way for

safety regulations in respect of construction work and cargo handling.

"The increasing use of modern devices and sophisticated techniques

for cargo handling, including containerisation, has brought with it new

safety problems requiring specialised treatment," he told council.

Last year, he said, accidents in the construction industry reported

to the Labour Department involved 4,500 workers, 65 of whom diod, compared

with 3,918 and 43 deaths in 1971.

"These figures emphasise the urgent need for the enactment of

'specialised' safety regulations to meet the situation."

Mr. Tsui said he intended to submit a comprehensivo set of regulations

for the council's approval once the new bill became law.

The bill aims at doubling the maximum penalty for breaking regulations

under the Ordinance from $5,000 to $10,000, and to provide an additional penalty

of up to $1,000 a day for each day the offence continues.

The Commissioner said the present $5,000 fine was considered insufficient

to act as a deterrent, and the increase would underline the importance the

government attached to industrial safety.

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