TNAG-1363-FCO40-1809-Hong-Kong-Hansard-reports-and-minutes-of-the-meetings-of-the-1985 — Page 26

Question No. 2

Reply by the Hon. J.N. Henderson, OBE, JP, Secretary for Education and Manpower, to a question by the Hon. YEUNG Po-kwan in Legislative Council on 20 November 1985

Question :

In view of recent repeated occurences of industrial accidents involving workmen falling at height in various places in the territory, will Government inform this Council what measures will be adopted to prevent similar accidents?

Sir,

While we do not have statistics of falls from

a height as distinct from the much larger category of

falls of persons under all circumstances, we do know

that fatal cases are almost entirely the result of

falls from a height and that around three-quarters of

such cases occur in the construction industry. The

total number of fatalities is declining from 52 in

1981 to 24 in 1984 and to 19 so far this year.

·

The number of such accidents has been and

remains a major priority of the Labour Department.

Cases are very carefully investigated and analysed

with a view to identifying causes and preventive

measures required.

The Department's strategy in this area is

composed of three broad elements: legal enforcement,

education and publicity. As regards the legal