XN000022-1983-12-09 — Page 4

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9, 1983

3.

16 MORE OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES PUT ON SCHEDULE

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THE NUMBER OF OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES IN THE SECOND SCHEDULE TO THE EMPLOYEES' COMPENSATION ORDINANCE FOR WHICH EMPLOYEES ARE ELIGIBLE FOR COMPENSATION FROM THEIR EMPLOYERS, HAS BEEN INCREASED FROM 21 TO 37.

AT THE SAME TIME, THE SCHEDULE HAS BEEN RESTRUCTURED AND REPLACED WITH A NEW ONE COMBINING THE EXISTING AND THE 16 ADDITIONAL DISEASES.

AN ORDER, MADE BY THE GOVERNOR-IN-COUNCIL, AMENDING THE SCHEDULE, IS PUBLISHED IN TODAY'S GOVERNMENT GAZETTE.

THE NEW SCHEDULE WILL COME INTO OPERATION ON JANUARY 1, NEXT YEAR.

A SPOKESMAN FOR THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT SAID THAT THE LABOUR ADVISORY BOARD. THE ACCIDENT INSURANCE ASSOCIATION, AND THE FOUR MAJOR EMPLOYERS' ASSOCIATIONS HAD BEEN CONSULTED AND ALL SUPPORTED THE PROPOSAL TO UPDATE THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE.

THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE WAS UPDATED TO BRING IT MORE INTO LINE WITH THE CURRENT RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE INTERNATIONAL LABOUR ORGANISATION AND THE PRACTICES IN INDUSTRIALISED COUNTRIES.

HOWEVER, HE STRESSED THAT THE POSSIBILITIES OF SOME OF THE ADDITIONAL DISEASES OCCURRING IN HONG KONG WERE EXCEEDINGLY REMOTE.

EVEN UNDER THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE, HE ADDED, MANY PRESCRIBED OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES HAVE NEVER BEEN DIAGNOSED IN HONG KONG.

THE SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THE ORIGINAL SCHEDULE, WHICH CONTAINED 21 OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES, HAD NOT BEEN ALTERED SINCE THEY WERE INTRODUCED INTO THE ORDINANCE IN 1964, ALTHOUGH PEOPLE SUFFERING FROM SILICOSIS AND ASBESTOSIS ARE NOW ELIGIBLE FOR COMPENSATION UNDER THE PNEUMOCONIOSIS (COMPENSATION) ORDINANCE.

IN THE LAST TWO DECADES, HOWEVER, ADVANCES IN MEDICAL KNOWLEDGE HAD MADE IT POSSIBLE TO ESTABLISH MORE FIRMLY THE CAUSAL RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN CERTAIN DISEASES AND CERTAIN TYPES OF OCCUPATION AND THE NUMBER OF OFFICIALLY-RECOGNISED OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES HAD INCREASED. MANY DEVELOPED OR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES, PARTICULARLY DURING THE LAST DECADE, HAD ADDED TO THEIR LISTS OF SUCH DISEASES.

THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT IN THE NEW SCHEDULE, OCCUPATIONAL DISEASES WERE GROUPED UNDER FOUR CATEGORIES OF CAUSATION, NAMELY PHYSICAL AGENTS, BIOLOGICAL AGENTS, CHEMICAL AGENTS AND MISCELLANEOUS AGENTS.

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