XN000022-1986-01-29 — Page 11

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WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 29, 1986

FACTORY CHECKS BASED ON HAZARD POTENTIAL

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FACTORIES WERE RATED ACCORDING TO THEIR HAZARD POTENTIAL TO ESTABLISH THE PRIORITIES FOR ROUTINE INSPECTION, THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER, THE HON NEIL HENDERSON SAID TODAY.

FACTORS SUCH AS THE NATURE OF THE INDUSTRIAL PROCESS INVOLVED, THE COMPLEXITY OF THE PLANT, THE NATURE OF THE PREMISES, THE NUMBER OF EMPLOYEES AND THE RECORD OF ACCIDENTS AND PROSECUTIONS WERE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT.

THE GREATER THE POTENTIAL HAZARD, THE MORE FREQUENT THE INSPECTIONS.

REPLYING TO A QUESTION BY THE HON TAM YIU-CHUNG, HE SAID THAT THE FREQUENCY OF ROUTINE INSPECTION VARIED FROM ONCE IN SIX MONTHS IN THE CASE, FOR EXAMPLE, OF A LARGE FACTORY WITH HIGH HAZARD POTENTIAL TO ONCE IN A MAXIMUM OF 54 MONTHS IN THE CASE OF, A SMALL LOW-RISK FACTORY WITH A GOOD SAFETY RECORD.

+IN ADDITION TO ROUTINE INSPECTIONS, SPECIAL INVESTIGATIONS ARE UNDERTAKEN IN THE CASE OF SERIOUS OR FATAL ACCIDENTS OR

COMPLAINTS.

+FOLLOW-UP INSPECTIONS FOR ENFORCEMENT PURPOSES ARE NORMALLY MADE WITHIN ONE TO THREE MONTHS WHERE A NEED FOR SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED, HE SAID.

THE PRESENT INSPECTION SYSTEM WAS WORKING SATISFACTORILY AND EVERY EFFORT WAS MADE TO MAXIMISE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF INSPECTION WITHIN PRESENT MANPOWER CONSTRAINTS, MR HENDERSON SAID.

THE FACTORY INSPECTORATE HAD 187 INSPECTORS, 130 OF THEM ASSIGNED TO FACTORIES. THIRTY THREE OTHERS WERE ON INSPECTION OF CONSTRUCTION SITES AND THE REST IN VARIOUS SUPPORT FUNCTIONS, INCLUDING TRAINING AND PROSECUTION WORK.

THE DEPARTMENT HAD PLANS TO INCREASE THE FACTORY INSPECTORATE TO ABOUT 250 WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES PERMITTED TO ALLOW MORE FREQUENT INSPECTIONS.

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