XN000022-1982-04-21 — Page 6

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 21, 1982

5

ADDITIONALLY, 123 SAFETY TALKS WERE GIVEN TO 10 200 PERSONS FROM 38 ORGANISATIONS, INCLUDING INSTITUTES OF HIGHER EDUCATION, VOCATIONAL TRAINING SCHOOLS, AND EMPLOYEES' AND EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATIONS.

ALL THESE COURSES ARE OFFERED AT NO COST TO THE PARTICIPANTS. THE ONLY CONTRIBUTION EMPLOYERS NEED TO MAKE IS TO RELEASE THE IR WORKERS TO ATTEND THE COURSES, WHICH MAY LAST FROM ONE TO THREE DAYS, DEPENDING ON THE TYPE OF SAFETY TRAINING REQUIRED.

AN EXTENSIVE REFERENCE LIBRARY ON INDUSTRIAL SAFETY IS ALSO MAINTAINED BY THE CENTRE, INCLUDING TECHNICAL PUBLICATIONS, FILMS AND OTHER TEACHING AIDS. THESE ARE MADE AVAILABLE TO ALL WHO ATTEND THE COURSES,

MR CHAN SAID, +EMPLOYERS WILL FIND THE FEW HOURS THEY 'LOST' IN PRODUCTIVITY WILL BE ONE OF THE MOST WORTHWHILE INSURANCE INVESTMENTS THEY CAN MAKE. WE INVITE ALL WORKERS AND EMPLOYERS INTERESTED IN OUR COURSES AND LECTURES TO APPROACH US THROUGH THE CENTRE.+

+EDUCATION TO PROMOTE SAFETY CONSCIOUSNESS, HOWEVER, MUST IDEALLY START AS EARLY AS POSSIBLE. IT IS FOR THIS REASON THAT WE SPONSOR AN ANNUAL INDUSTRIAL SAFETY POSTER COMPETITION OPEN TO ALL STUDENTS, HE ADDED.

LAST YEAR, 45 659 PERSONS WERE INJURED AND 141 OTHERS WERE KILLED IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS, DOWN FROM THE FIGURES OF 48 571 INJURED AND 120 KILLED IN 1980,

ABOUT 40 PER CENT OF THE ACCIDENTS OCCURRED IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, A LARGE NUMBER OF THEM RESULTING FROM FALLS.

TO TIGHTEN WORK SAFETY PRACTICES AT HEIGHTS, THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT IS DRAFTING AN AMENDMENT TO THE CONSTRUCTION SITE (SAFETY) REGULATIONS AT HEIGHT WHICH IS EXPECTED TO BE APPROVED THIS YEAR.

SUPPLEMENTING THE WORK OF THE FACTORY INSPECTORATE IS THE OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH DIVISION, WHICH PROVIDES AN ADVISORY SERVICE TO GOVERNMENT AND INDUSTRY ON MATTERS CONCERNING THE HEALTH OF WORKERS AND THE HYGIENE OF THE WORKPLACE. ALSO HAS A SUPERVISORY FUNCTION IN OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH STANDARDS AND PRACTICE.

זו

A PRIME RESPONSIBILITY OF THE DIVISION IS THE INVESTIGATION OF OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES AND POTENTIAL HAZARDS REPORTED BY THE FACTORY INSPECTORATE TO DETERMINE PREVENTIVE ACTION. IT ALSO MONITORS WORK PROCESSES THAT POSE ANY PHYSICAL, CHEMICAL OR BIOLOGICAL HAZARDS, SUCH AS COTTON DUST IN TEXTILE INDUSTRY CHROMIUM PLATING, USE OF MANGANESE, CARBON MONOXIDE EXPOSURE IN GARAGES, SOLDERING AND OTHERS.

THE DIVISION ISSUES CERTIFICATES OF FITNESS UNDER THE FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS REGULATION FOR UNDERGROUND WORKERS.

/IT ALSO

[