XN000022-1981-11-16 — Page 10

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ON

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 1981

INDUSTRIAL SAFETY QUIZ PRIZE CEREMONY

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INDUSTRIAL SAFETY IS EVERYONE'S BUSINESS, SAID SIR S.Y. CHUNG, CHAIRMAN OF SONCA INDUSTRIES, AT THE PRESENTATION OF PRIZES FOR THE RECENTLY CONCLUDED RTHK-PRODUCED TELEVISION QUIZ/TELEMATCH PROGRAMME, +SAFETY AT WORK, WHICH WAS WON BY A TEAM OF FIVE EMPLOYEES FROM SONCA INDUSTRIES LTD.

+ INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS ARE DREADFUL. THEY ARE COSTLY TO THE EMPLOYERS AND MISERABLE TO THE EMPLOYEES, HE SAID.

IN RECEIVING THE GRAND PRIZE OF AN EIGHT-DAY HOLIDAY IN BRITAIN ON BEHALF OF HIS WINNING TEAM, HE SAID THAT EMPLOYERS, ON THE ONE HAND, SHOULD REALISE THAT THE COSTS OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS WERE NOT LIMITED TO DIRECT COMPENSATION PAID TO THE INJURED. THERE WERE A SERIES OF ADDITIONAL INDIRECT COSTS SUCH AS THOSE DUE TO PRODUCTION DISRUPTION, MACHINERY REPAIR AND LOWER LABOUR MORALE.

+ON THE OTHER HAND, WORKERS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT THE PAIN AND AGONY CAUSED BY ACCIDENTS ARE NOT CONFINED TO THE INJURED ALONE. THE FAMILIES OF THE INJURED ALSO SUFFER, PARTICULARLY WHEN THE INJURED ARE BREAD-WINNERS,+ HE SAID.

REFERRING TO THE TV PROGRAMME, HE SAID THAT IT WAS A VERY SUCCESSFUL PROJECT IN CREATING SAFETY CONSCIOUSNESS IN THE PUBLIC AT LARGE AND EDUCATING THE INDUSTRIAL WORKFORCE ON SAFETY AT WORK.

THE DEPUTY COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR, MR J.C.A. HAMMOND, EXPRESSED HIS THANKS TO RTHK AND THE FEDERATION OF HONG KONG INDUSTRIES, THE JOINT ORGANISERS OF THE TV PROGRAMME, AND TO BRITISH CALEDONIAN AIRWAYS, THE CO-SPONSOR.

HE SAID THAT THE IR INVOLVEMENT IN COMMUNITY PROJECTS SUCH AS INDUSTRIAL SAFETY WAS OF PARAMOUNT IMPORTANCE IF THE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY MESSAGE WAS TO REACH EVERY HOME AND WORK-PLACE IN HONG KONG.

THE DIRECTOR OF BROADCASTING, MR JOHN TISDALL, SAID THAT THE +SAFETY AT WORK+ TV PROGRAMME PROVED TO BE VERY SUCCESSFUL NOT ONLY BECAUSE IT WAS WELL RECEIVED BY THE PUBLIC BUT ALSO DUE TO ITS FINE PRESENTATION.

MR RANALD NOEL-PATON, GENERAL MANAGER, FAR EAST, BRITISH CALEDONIAN AIRWAYS, SAID THAT NOT ONLY DID MANY PERSONAL TRAGEDIES OCCUR AS A RESULT OF ACCIDENTS AT WORK BUT THAT THE CUMULATIVE EFFECT OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS HAD A DIRECT BEARING ON THE ECONOMIC HEALTH OF THE COMMUNITY.

IN HONG KONG, WHERE EXPORTING IS THE LIFEBLOOD OF THE COMMUNITY'S ECONOMIC WELL-BEING, TIME LOST AT WORK AS A RESULT OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS MEANT EXPORTS LOST.

HE PRAISED THE +SAFETY AT WORK+ TV SERIES AS AN IMAGINATIVE CONCEPT OF PRESENTING INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AS AN ENTERTAINMENT AS WELL AS A MEDIUM FOR THE COMMUNICATION OF A WORTHWHILE MESSAGE AND THAT BRITISH CALEDONIAN WAS VERY HAPPY TO BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE ITS CONTINUING COMMITMENT TO HONG KONG BY SPONSOR ING

IT.

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