XN000022-1982-08-04 — Page 2

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 4, 1982

MORE +WILL AND SENSE FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY

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MORE PEOPLE ARE SHOWING THEIR +WILL AND SENSE+ FOR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY IN A POSITIVE MANNER.

THIS WAS STATED BY THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S ACTING DEPUTY CHIEF FACTORY INSPECTOR, MR T.K. CHAN, WHEN HE ADDRESSED THE HONG KONG BAYVIEW LIONS CLUB TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

IN HIS TALK, MR CHAN OUTLINED THE PRESENT TREND IN THE PROMOTION OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY IN HONG KONG AND ITS EFFECTS ON THE WELL-BEING OF THE COMMUNITY.

HE POINTED OUT THAT OVER THE YEARS THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT HAD BEEN TRYING ITS UTMOST TO REDUCE THE HIGH INCIDENCE OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS.

CONSEQUENTLY THERE WAS A SIX PER CENT DECREASE IN THE NUMBER OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS REPORTED LAST YEAR COMPARED WITH 48 691 IN 1980. THERE WAS A FURTHER 12 PER CENT DROP IN THE FIRST QUARTER OF THIS YEAR COMPARED WITH THE SAME PERIOD LAST YEAR.

MR CHAN ATTRIBUTED THE DECREASES IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS TO THE GROWING AWARENESS OF THE IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION AMONGST EMPLOYEES AND EMPLOYERS, AS WELL AS THE GROWING INTEREST AMONGST THE GENERAL PUBLIC ON THE SUBJECT.

EMPLOYEES, HE NOTED, WERE BEGINNING TO ASSUME A MORE ACTIVE ROLE IN NEGOTIATING FOR BETTER AND SAFER WORKING ENVIRONMENTS FOR THEMSELVES, WHILE EMPLOYERS WERE STEPPING FORWARD BY REMOVING THE +BRICKWALL+ HITHERTO PUT UP AROUND THEMSELVES AGAINST ANY MOVE WHICH THEY THOUGHT MIGHT CUT INTO THEIR BUSINESS PROFIT MARGIN.

THIS MOVEMENT, MR CHAN CONTINUED, WAS GAINING MOMENTUM AND ITS SUCCESSFUL START OWED MUCH TO THE EFFORTS OF A TRIPARTITE BODY COMPOSED OF EMPLOYERS' AND EMPLOYEES' REPRESENTATIVES AS WELL AS LABOUR DEPARTMENT OFFICERS, NAMELY THE COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION.

UNDER THE AUSPICES OF THE COMMITTEE, FOUR SAFETY SUB-COMMITTEES HAD BEEN SET UP FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, TEXTILE, PLASTICS AS WELL AS SHIPBUILDING AND SHIP-REPAIRING INDUSTRIES.

LAST YEAR HAD BEEN A SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR THE CONSTRUCTION SUB-COMMITTEE WHEN A 2.5 PER CENT DROP WAS RECORDED IN THE NUMBER OF SITE ACCIDENTS AS COMPARED WITH THE YEAR BEFORE.

THE BLITZ ON INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS OVER THE YEARS, BOTH THROUGH INTENSIFIED ENFORCEMENT OF THE SAFETY LAWS AND ENDLESS PROGRAMMES ON SAFETY EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY HAD HELPED TO INCULCATE SAFETY AWARENESS AND SPEED UP THE PROGRESS ON SAFETY PERFORMANCES IN ALL FIELDS, HE ADDED.

MR CHAN POINTED OUT THAT A RECENTLY-CONDUCTED MARKET RESEARCH STUDY ON INDUSTRIAL SAFETY PUBLICITY HAD SHOWN THAT FAMILIES PLAYED AN IMPORTANT ROLE IN THE PREVENTION OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS.