XN000022-1973-12-11 — Page 10

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Tuesday, December 11, 1973

GOVERNOR CALLS FOR JOINT EFFORT IN INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

The Governor, Sir Murray MacLehose, today called on Industry and Commerce to join the government in a joint attack on the growing problem of accidents at work in Hong Kong.

Speaking at the opening of the C.M.A. Association Exhibition, Sir Murray said: "I am sure that only by such a combined attack will this terrible tall in human lives and suffering be reduced."

The Governor welcomed the Industrial Safety Exhibition being staged as a major feature of this year's Exhibition as a sign that industry, commerce and the government were launching such a combined attack.

The Safety Exhibition, sponsored by the Labour Department with the backing of the Commerce and Industry Department, the Fire Services Department and the Marine Department, and with support from industry and commerce in the form of donations and loaned machinery, is the first of its kind in South-east Asia.

"Both the government and the private sector were becoming increasingly alarmed at the huge toll each year of accidenta at work," Sir Murray said.

"Such accidents are now happening at the rate of one every seven or eight minutes throughout the day twice the road accident injury rate.

"Last year 296 people were killed and nearly 30,000 injured at work. Virtually every one of these accidents could have been avoided by

proper safety precautions."

In his

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