XN000022-1986-10-29 — Page 8

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 29, 1986

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REGULATIONS ON CONSTRUCTION SITE SAFETY APPROVED

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THE FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS (SAFETY OFFICERS AND SAFETY SUPERVISORS) REGULATIONS 1986, WHICH SEEK TO IMPROVE INDUSTRIAL SAFETY AT CONSTRUCTION SITES, WERE APPROVED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL TODAY (WEDNESDAY).

SIX MEMBERS SPOKE IN SUPPORT OF THE MOTION TO APPROVE THE REGULATIONS THE HON CHAN KAM-CHUEN, THE HON HU FA-KUANG, DR THE HON HENRIETTA IP, THE HON CHENG HON-KWAN, THE HON NGAI SHIÚ-KIT AND THE HON TAM YIU-CHUNG.

LEADING DEBATE ON THE MOTION AS CONVENER OF THE LEGCO AD HOC GROUP STUDYING THE REGULATIONS, MR CHAN SAID HE WAS PERSONALLY VERY PLEASED TO SEE THE SAFETY OFFICERS AND SAFETY SUPERVISORS SCHEME COME TO FRUITION AFTER YEARS OF PREPARATION.

HE STRESSED THAT IT WAS ESSENTIAL TO TRAIN A SUFFICIENT NUMBER OF QUALIFIED SAFETY OFFICERS AND SAFETY SUPERVISORS BEFORE THE SCHEME WAS IMPLEMENTED.

THERE WERE NOW ABOUT 500 SAFETY OFFICERS AND OVER 7 000 SAFETY SUPERVISORS, WITH SOME OF THE LATTER PERFORMING DUAL DUTIES AT A LARGE NUMBER OF SMALLER INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENTS EMPLOYING ABOUT 20 WORKERS.

THIS WOULD ENCOURAGE OTHERS TO PAY MORE ATTENTION TO INDUSTRIAL

SAFETY.

MR CHAN SAID THE IMPORTANCE OF INDUSTRIAL SAFETY MEASURES COULD NOT BE OVER-EMPHASISED.

+ALTHOUGH WE CANNOT ACHIEVE THE GOAL OF A ZERO ACCIDENT FIGURE 1 TRUST THAT WITH THE COMBINED AND SUSTAINED EFFORTS OF THE GOVERNMENT, EMPLOYERS AND EMPLOYEES, WE MAY REDUCE THE TRAGIC FIGURES TO A MORE ACCEPTABLE LEVEL,+ HE SAID.

MR HU CONSIDERED THAT IT WOULD BE MORE APPROPRIATE FOR AN APPEAL BOARD COMPRISING MAINLY PRIVATE SECTOR MEMBERS TO HANDLE APPEALS CONCERNING THE REGISTRATION OF SAFETY OFFICERS.

ACCORDING TO THE REGULATIONS, THE DECISION TO REFUSE, CANCEL AND SUSPEND REGISTRATION AND THE SUBSEQUENT APPEAL WOULD ALL BE HANDLED BY CIVIL SERVANTS, HE SAID.

HE ADDED THAT MEMBERS OF THE SAFETY OFFICERS ADVISORY COMMITTEE AND THE APPEAL BOARD COULD BE APPOINTED BY THE SECRETARY FOR EDUCATION AND MANPOWER INSTEAD OF BY THE COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR.

/HOWEVER, AS