XN000022-1994-06-01 — Page 22

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 1, 1994

WE

WE ARE NEVER COMPLACENT ABOUT OUR WORKPLACE'S SAFETY RECORDS. ARE STILL VERY UNHAPPY ABOUT THE ACCIDENT RATES, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN CONSTRUCTION SITES AND SHIPYARDS. WE ARE WORKING HARD TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION, THROUGH LEGISLATION, EDUCATION AND PUBLICITY.

THE

I HAVE LISTENED CAREFULLY TO MANY MEMBERS' PLEA TO EXTEND SCOPE OF OUR INDUSTRIAL SAFETY LEGISLATION TO COVER ALL TRADES IN ORDER TO SAFEGUARD THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF ALL OUR WORKERS. I FULLY APPRECIATE THE SENTIMENT BEHIND THE PROPOSAL. I AM SUPPORTIVE OF THE SPIRIT BEHIND IT. BUT WE HAVE TO GET OUR PRIORITIES RIGHT. TO BE EFFECTIVE, WE NEED TO FOCUS OUR LEGISLATIVE EFFORTS AND ENFORCEMENT CAPACITY ON THOSE AREAS WHICH CALL URGENT ATTENTION, WE MUST NOT SPREAD THESE EFFORTS SO THIN THAT WE MAY END UP WITH NO NOTICEABLE IMPROVEMENTS ON THE ENTIRE FRONT,

ΤΟ

TO

LET US EXAMINE THE SUBJECT CLOSELY AND SEE WHETHER WE NEED ADOPT AN ALL-EMBRACING APPROACH AT THIS STAGE. LET US LOOK AT THE ACCIDENT RECORD FIRST. WE SHOULD FOCUS ON THE SERIOUS INJURY ACCIDENT RECORD FOR THEY ARE OF GREATEST CONCERN TO US IN DECIDING ON WHERE PLACE ENFORCEMENT PRIORITY. ACCORDING TO LABOUR DEPARTMENT'S STATISTICS, SERIOUS INJURY ACCIDENTS ARE DEFINED AS ACCIDENTS WHICH RESULT IN PERMANENT DISABILITY OF OVER 5 PER CENT TO THE INJURED EMPLOYEES OR WHICH RESULT IN THE INJURED EMPLOYEES HAVING TO TAKE SICK LEAVE OF MORE THAN 30 DAYS.

IN 1993, A TOTAL OF 3,386 SERIOUS INJURY ACCIDENTS WERE SETTLED UNDER THE EMPLOYEES' COMPENSATION ORDINANCE. OF THESE, ONLY 58 CASES TOOK PLACE IN ECONOMIC ACTIVITIES NOT COVERED BY THE FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS ORDINANCE. THIS REPRESENTS 1.7 PER CENT OF SUCH RECORDED ACCIDENTS.

LEST MEMBERS MAY SAY THAT WE SHOULD LOOK AT THE OVERALL ACCIDENT STATISTICS AS WELL TO MAKE SURE THAT WE ARE NOT NEGLECTING THE MINOR INJURIES, LET US EXAMINE THE RELATIVE ACCIDENT RATES BETWEEN THOSE SECTORS THAT ARE ALREADY COVERED UNDER THE FACTORIES AND INDUSTRIAL UNDERTAKINGS ORDINANCE TO THOSE THAT ARE NOT. IN 1993, ACCIDENT RATE FOR THE FORMER IS 52.6 PER THOUSAND WORKERS, WHILE RATE FOR THE LATTER IS 13.4.

THE

PER

IF WE LOOK AT SPECIFIC SECTORS, IN 1993, THE ACCIDENT RATE THOUSAND WORKERS WAS 294.8 FOR THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, 52.6 FOR ALL INDUSTRIAL EMPLOYMENT, 6.1 FOR WHOLESALE, RETAIL AND HOTELS AND 7.0 FOR FINANCING, INSURANCE, REAL ESTATE AND BUSINESS SERVICES, THE LATTER TWO CATEGORIES BEING AMONG THE MAJOR TRADES IN TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT IN THE NON-MANUFACTURING SECTOR.

THESE COMPARISONS DO INDICATE THAT THE OCCURRENCE OF EMPLOYMENT-RELATED ACCIDENTS IN THOSE AREAS THAT ARE AS YET NOT COVERED BY THE LEGISLATION IS INDEED SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER, AND WHERE ACCIDENTS DID TAKE PLACE, THEY ARE LARGELY OF A RELATIVELY LESS SERIOUS NATURE.

/LET US