XN000022-1984-03-28 — Page 23

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 1984

22

+ WITH REGARD TO THE SAFETY AND HEALTH OF WORKERS, DR HO SAID THE NUMBER OF ACCIDENTS AT WORK-SITES, THOUGH REDUCED IN 1983, WAS STILL TOO HIGH.

THE UNSATISFACTORY LOW LEVEL OF ENFORCEMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY LEGISLATION AS A RESULT OF A SHORTAGE OF FACTORY INSPECTORS HAD CAUSED GRAVE CONCERN TO THE COMMUNITY, HE SAID.

DR HO NOTED THAT THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FACTORY INSPECTORATE IN THE LAST TWO YEARS HAD REMAINED UNCHANGED AT 205, WHEREAS THE NUMBER OF ESTABLISHMENTS ENCOMPASSED BY THE LEGISLATION HAD BEEN STEADILY INCREASING FROM 73 000 IN 1982 TO ROUGHLY 77 000 IN 1983.

HE SAID THE APPROVED POSTS OF FACTORY INSPECTORS HAD NEVER BEEN FULLY FILLED AND THAT ONE FACTORY INSPECTOR HAD TO POLICE ON AVERAGE 394 FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS PER YEAR, A FIGURE FAR GREATER THAN THE OPTIMAL RATIO OF 1:300 RECOMMENDED BY BRITISH EXPERTS.

+AS A CONSEQUENCE, THE PRESENT LEVEL OF ENFORCEMENT, THAT IS HOW OFTEN INSPECTION VISITS ARE MADE TO EACH ESTABLISHMENT, IS FAR FROM SATISFACTORY, + HE SAID.

HE SAID THE INSPECTION CYCLE MIGHT RANGE FROM SIX MONTHS TO ABOUT ONE-AND-A-HALF YEARS, DEPENDING ON THE DEGREE OF POTENTIAL HAZARDS ASSOCIATED TO EACH INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKING.

DR HO POINTED OUT THAT THE INADEQUATE ENFORCEMENT OF THE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY LEGISLATIONS GENERATED CONSEQUENCES IN SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC TERMS,

+ INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS NOT ONLY BRING MUCH HUMAN SUFFERING TO THE INJURED WORKERS AND MISERIES TO THEIR FAMILIES, BUT ALSO DISRUPTION TO PRODUCTION AND FINANCIAL LOSS TO EMPLOYERS.

+1 WOULD THEREFORE URGE THE GOVERNMENT TO REVIEW THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE FACTORY INSPECTORATE IN THE LIGHT OF THE CURRENT HIGH LEVEL OF INDUSTRIAL ACCIDENTS, HE SAID.

HE NOTED THAT $1.5 MILLION HAD BEEN PROVIDED IN THE DRAFT ESTIMATES FOR PROMOTION OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY, BUT HE PERSONALLY BELIEVED THAT MORE STRINGENT POLICING BY FACTORY INSPECTORS WAS A SURER WAY TO BRING ABOUT MORE IMMEDIATE EFFECT.

COMMENTING ON VOCATIONAL TRAINING FOR DISABLED PERSONS, DR HO SAW A NEED TO INTEGRATE THE TRAINING OF DISABLED PERSONS WITH THE COMPREHENSIVE SYSTEM OF TECHNICAL EDUCATION AND INDUSTRIAL TRAINING CURRENTLY BEING DEVELOPED BY THE VOCATIONAL TRAINING COUNCIL.

HOWEVER, HE NOTED THAT THERE WAS A LACK OF REHABILITATION EXPERTS AMONG THE COUNCIL MEMBERS.

+1 PROPOSE THEREFORE THAT THE MEMBERSHIP OF THE VTC SHOULD BE EXPANDED TO INCLUDE REPRESENTATIVE FROM THE REHABILITATION DEVELOPMENT CO-ORDINATING COMMITTEE SO THAT THE NECESSARY ADVICE ON THE SPECIAL NEEDS OF DISABLED PERSONS IN TRAINING OR EMPLOYMENT COULD BE OBTAINED, HE SAID.

1/23