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1,354 sites checked for industrial safety
The Labour Department's special task force comprising 10 factory inspectors checked another 90 sites in the fourth week of the territory-wide special industrial safety operation. The total number of sites inspected in the past four weeks reached 1,354.
A total of 35 summonses would be issued to building contractors for breaching industrial safety laws as a result of the latest operation bringing the number of summonses to be issued under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance to 419 up to yesterday (Thursday).
The breaches detected over the fourth week related mainly to failing to provide suitable working platforms or scaffolds; failing to provide proper fencing of dangerous places; failing to ensure the use of personal protective equipment by workers and failing to provide adequate safety measures in the use of lifting appliances. These were similar to the last three weeks' findings.
A Labour Department spokesman said with effect from today (Friday), the Commissioner for Labour was empowered to issue suspension notice or improvement notice to stop immediately any operation or machinery at a construction site which might pose an imminent risk of serious injuries to workers.
"Prosecution will be initiated against the proprietor or contractor who fails to comply with the terms of the suspension notice or improvement notice," said the spokesman.
The maximum penalty for contravening a suspension notice is $500,000 and 12 months' imprisonment, with an additional fine of $50,000 for every day if the
contravention continues.
For those who fail without reasonable excuse to observe the terms of an improvement notice, they are liable to a maximum fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for 12 months.
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