ENG-1978 — Page 72

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Safety

EMPLOYMENT

The Factory Inspectorate of the Labour Department is responsible for enforcing the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation. These provide for the health and safety of workers in factories, building and engineering construction sites, and other industrial undertakings. Advice and assistance also are given to management on guarding dangerous machinery parts, adopting safe working practices, and laying out new factories to achieve better working conditions.

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Amendment) (No. 2) Ordinance 1977, effective from December 23, 1977, brought non-profit-making institutions within the scope of the ordinance, empowered the Commissioner for Labour to appoint con- sultants, and included ‘airport' in the definition of ‘industrial undertaking'.

Under the auspices of the Labour Advisory Board, the Committee on Industrial Safety and Accident Prevention was established in March, 1978. The committee comprising representatives of workers, employers and the Labour Department - aims to promote voluntary participation and involvement in the field of industrial health and safety.

Towards the end of the year the Factory Inspectorate, in conjunction with the Government Information Services, embarked upon a large-scale publicity campaign promoting industrial safety in which posters, leaflets and stickers were distributed to industry, television films were made and strip cartoons displayed.

The Industrial Safety Training Centre, at the Labour Department's Kowloon regional office, provided courses during the year for workers from various industries and for students from vocational training centres and schools. The courses were held at the centre's permanent exhibition hall, where a variety of machine guards, models depicting safe working practices on construction sites, and personal protective equip- ment are on display.

Industrial Health and Hygiene

ار

The Industrial Health Division of the Labour Department, comprising the Industrial Health Unit and the Industrial Hygiene Unit, provides an advisory service to the government and industry on matters relating to the health of workers. The division is primarily concerned with preventing occupational diseases and protecting workers against physical, chemical and biological hazards in their working environment. These hazards are detected through visits to industrial undertakings by officers of the divi- sion, reports by the Factory Inspectorate and statutory notification of occupational diseases. Control is achieved by environmental and biological investigations and monitoring, medical examinations and health education.

The Industrial Health Unit investigates industrial accidents and occupational diseases. It undertakes medical and pathological examinations of workers exposed to lead, fluoride, ionising radiation and other occupational hazards, and of govern- ment employees engaged in compressed air work or diving work.

The responsibility for the medical examination and assessment of injured workers rests with medically-qualified industrial health officers. Visits to the homes and work places of injured workers are made by health visitors and nurses of the Industrial Health Unit.