132 Employment
employment or by specified occupational diseases. An employer must be in possession of a valid insurance policy to cover his liabilities both under the ordinance and common law.
A 'Voluntary Rehabilitation Programme' initially drawn up in 2003 to help construction workers injured at work to recover faster through better care, has now been extended to all industries in phases.
The Labour Department assists injured employees and the families of deceased employees to obtain compensation from
obtain compensation from their employers under Employees' Compensation Ordinance (ECO). It also administers a scheme that provides interest-free loans to workers injured in job-related accidents. In 2008, loans totalling $46,589 were made to four injured employees and to the dependents of deceased employees.
The Employees Compensation Assistance Scheme helps the injured employees, or family members of deceased employees to obtain compensation from defaulting employers. The scheme is financed by a levy imposed on all employees' compensation insurance policies taken out by employers.
During the year, the Labour Department held seminars, distributed leaflets, and made announcements on TV and radio to help employers and employees better understand their rights and obligations under the scheme.
The Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance was amended this year to make cancerous mesothelioma a compensable
a compensable disease and was accordingly re-titled Pneumoconiosis and Mesothelioma (Compensation) Ordinance. Pneumoconiosis and/ or mesothelioma sufferers are eligible for compensation under the ordinance administered by the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund Board. Those diagnosed before the Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance went into effect in 1981 can apply for ex gratia benefits from the Government under the Pneumoconiosis Ex Gratia Scheme.
At year's end, 2030 pneumoconiosis and/or mesothelioma sufferers were receiving payments under either the ordinance or the ex gratia scheme. Family members of 97 pneumoconiosis sufferers who died as a result of the disease were also granted compensation during the year.
The Occupational Deafness Compensation Board administers the Occupational Deafness Compensation Scheme which compensates employees who have worked in specified noisy occupations and are suffering from noise-induced deafness. In 2008, the board approved 58 such applications and paid out $7.4 million in compensation. It approved 305 applications for hearing aids, costing $680,000. The board also runs rehabilitation programmes for people with impaired hearing caused by their jobs. In 2008, the board provided 532 such programmes.
Wage Protection Movement
The Government joined hands with the business community and the labour sector in October 2006 to launch a Wage Protection Movement (WPM) to provide
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