XN000022-1988-03-18 — Page 4

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FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 1988

THE MEMBERS HAVE BEEN APPOINTED FOR A PERIOD OF TWO YEARS.

THE SECRETARY OF THE COMMITTEE IS THE PRINCIPAL ASSISTANT DEPUTY CHIFF SECRETARY (SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY) OF THE OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY.

TEAM ON 133UKS

THE SPOKESMAN POINTED OUT THAT THE MULTI-DISCIPLINARY

AND THE COMMITTEE WOULD ENSURE THAT SCIENTIFIC

TECHNOLOGICAL AND PROPOSALS WERE ASSESSED PROPERLY AND GIVEN DUE WEIGHT IN THE FORMULATION OF GOVERNMENT POLICIES.

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH ACCORDED HIGH PRIORITY

OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH IS A FIELD OF MEDICAL SCIENCE WHICH 19 GROWING RAPIDLY ALL OVER THE WORLD,

COMMISSIONER FOR LABOUR,

THE

MR TONY HAMMOND, SAID TODAY (FRIDAY).

IT IS ALSO AN AREA OF WORK TO WHICH THE LABOUR DEPARTMENT HAS ACCORDED HIGH PRIORITY, HE ADDED.

SPEAKING AT THE OPENING OF THE FIRST OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH EXHIBITION ORGANISED BY THE DEPARTMENT, MR HAMMOND NOTED THAT TO PROTECT THE HEALTH OF WORKERS, THE DEPARTMENT'S OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH DIVISION CONDUCTED MANY FIELD SURVEYS ON SPECIAL PROBLEMS ENCOUNTERED BY THE FACTORY INSPECTORATE.

"IN ADDITION, SEVERAL SURVEYS, SUCH AS THE LARGE-SCALE STUDIES ON WAYS AND MEANS TO REDUCE THE PROBLEM OF SILICOSIS IN MINES, QUARRIES AND CONSTRUCTION SITES AND HAZARDS CAUSED BY COTTON THE TEXTILE INDUSTRY ARE PROGRESSING STEADILY," HE SAID.

"MEMBERS OF THE DIVISION ALSO PAY REGULAR VISITS TO UNDERTAKINGS, NOT ONLY TO PREVENT OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS PROMOTE THE GENERAL HEALTH OF THE WORKERS AND TO ADVISE WORK PROCESSES TO PROTECT THE WORKERS' HEALTH.'

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DUST IN

INDUSTRIAL

BUT ALSO TO ON IMPROVING

OCCUPATIONAL

LAST YEAR, THERE WERE 379 CASES OF CONFIRMED DISEASES, AN INCREASE OF 100 OVER THE PREVIOUS YEAR'S TOTAL.

THE NEED FOR A COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMME TO RAISE THE STANDARDS OF OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH AT WORK WAS OBVIOUS, HE STRESSED.

ALSO SPEAKING AT THE OPENING LEGISLATIVE COUNCILLOR DR CHIU HIN-KWONG.

CEREMONY WAS EXECUTIVE

AND

/DR CHIU