XN000022-1995-06-26 — Page 21

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Joint efforts to enhance ACP site safety

The Secretary for Works, Mr James Blake, today (Monday) called on all those engaged in the Airport Core Programme (ACP) to be involved in enhancing site safety.

"Workers, contractors, consultants and Government staff alike, all of us must increase our safety endeavours in every way possible," he said.

Speaking at the launching ceremony of the 1995 ACP Construction Safety Award Scheme, the third annual event organised by the New Airport Projects Co- ordination Office (NAPCO), Mr Blake said the joint efforts of all parties concerned had produced positive results, and an improving trend had been reported.

"The fatal accident rate and non-fatal accident rate of ACP contracts for the 12 months up to the end of April 1995 was 0.5 fatalities per thousand workers per year and 81 accidents per thousand workers per year, which is 52 per cent and 16 per cent respectively lower than the fatal and non-fatal accident rates of ACP contracts for the previous 12 months.

"The improvements were achieved despite an increase in the labour force of about 44 per cent. By comparison, the corresponding fatal and non-fatal accident rates for the construction industry as a whole were 0.85 and 275 in 1994," he said.

said.

However, these improving safety results were still not good enough, Mr Blake

"The overall ACP accident rates are still higher than the ACP safety targets of zero fatalities and less than 60 reportable accidents per thousand workers per year. I therefore repeat my call in the past years for everybody to be involved in safety on our sites," he said.

Mr Blake said the Government as well as the Provisional Airport Authority (PAA), the Mass Transit Railway Corporation (MTRC) and the Western Harbour Tunnel Company (WHTC) had also been rigorous when selecting contractors.

"Not only in terms of proven ability, but also the means by which safe working is to be planned and implemented on the works sites under their control," he said.