XN000022-1983-01-20 — Page 11

SUA JANU~<Y CÙ. 1903

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CONTRACTORS URGED TO KEEP UP SAFETY EFFORTS

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LOCAL BUILDING CONTRACTORS WERE URGED TODAY (THURSDAY) TO STEP UP EFFORTS FOR THE PROMOTION OF WORK SAFETY.

THE PLEA WAS MADE BY MR HO SAI-CHU, PRESIDENT OF THE BUILDING CONTRACTORS' ASSOCIATION AT THE OPENING OF A CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY SAFETY SEMINAR HELD AT THE CHINESE Y.M.C.A. IN WATERLOO ROAD.

AT THE SAME TIME, MR HO EMPHASISED THAT THE CONTRACTORS SHOULD NOT BE COMPLACENT ABOUT THE DROP IN INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND SHOULD NOT SLACKEN THEIR EFFORTS.

IN THE FIRST HALF OF LAST YEAR, THERE WERE 6 510 INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY AND 29 OF THEM WERE FATAL CASES. COMPARED WITH THE FIGURES FOR THE SIMILAR PERIOD IN 1981. THE INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS AND FATAL CASES REPRESENTED A DROP OF 7.3 PER CENT AND 17.1 PER CENT RESPECTIVELY, HE SAID.

+SOME HAVE ATTRIBUTED THIS ACHIEVEMENT TO THE FACT THAT THERE ARE FEWER PROJECTS HAVING TO MEET DEADLINES AND UNDEREMPLOYMENT IN THE CURRENT ECONOMIC RECESSION. THESE MAY BE, OF COURSE, PART OF THE REASONS.

+HOWEVER I THINK THIS WAS MAINLY THE RESULTS OF THE JOINT EFFORTS BY THE GOVERNMENT, EMPLOYERS, INCLUDING CONTRACTORS AND WORKERS, TO CHECK THE INCREASE OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS,+ HE ADDED.

NOTING THAT INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY STILL TOP THE LIST, MR HO URGED EMPLOYERS TO PROVIDE A SAFE WORKING ENVIRONMENT AND SAFETY EQUIPMENT. HE ALSO CALLED ON WORKERS TO USE THE EQUIPMENT PROVIDED AND TO OBSERVE SAFETY LEGISLATION, AND THE GOVERNMENT TO ENFORCE THE LEGISLATION.

HE SAID THAT THE PROBLEM OF WORK SAFETY STILL EXISTED DESPITE THE CURRENT RECESSION.

+ IT IS TRUE THAT COSTING IS LIMITED AND EXPENDITURE RESTRICTED BY DIFFICULTIES BROUGHT ABOUT BY THE PRESENT ECONOMIC CLIMATE; BUT IT WILL HELP THE LOCAL ECONOMY RECOVER IF UNNECESSARY LOSSES, SUCH AS LOST WORK-DAYS AND ABSENCE FROM WORK COULD BE AVOIDED BY REDUCING WORK ACCIDENTS, HE ADDED.

SPEAKERS AT THE SEMINAR WERE MR NICOLAS YEUNG, REPRESENTATIVE OF THE BUILDING CONTRACTORS' ASSOCIATION ON THE COMMITTEE ON INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AND ACCIDENT PREVENTION: MR POON TO-CHUEN, SECRETARY, HONG KONG AND KOWLOON PAINTERS GENERAL UNION MR DAVID Y. H. WONG, SAFETY ENGINEER; MR LI CHI-ON, SENIOR STATION OFFICER, FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT; MISS ELAINE TSANG, FIRST AID AND NURSING OFFICER OF HONG KONG RED CROSS AND MR CHAN HON-TING, DIVISIONAL FACTORY INSPECTOR OF THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT.

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