ENG-2012 — Page 152

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Employment

Foreign Domestic Helpers

Foreign domestic helpers may be admitted, subject to immigration control, if they have relevant working experience and their employers are Hong Kong residents who will offer the terms of employment stipulated in the standard employment contract prescribed by the Government. The terms of employment include free and suitable accommodation, free food or food allowance in lieu, wages not lower than the minimum allowable wage set by the Government, free passage from and to the helper's place of origin and free medical treatment. Employers must also meet the required levels of income or assets.

As at December 2012, there were 312,395 foreign domestic helpers in Hong Kong, an increase of 4.1 per cent from 2011. The Philippines and Indonesia respectively accounted for 49.9 per cent and 47.8 per cent of the number of foreign domestic helpers.

Occupational Safety and Health

The Labour Department continues to improve safety and health standards in the workplace through inspection and enforcement, publicity and promotion, and education and training. Safety and health at work in Hong Kong has improved considerably in the last decade as a result of the concerted effort of employers, employees, contractors, safety practitioners and the Government.

In 2012, there were 39,907 occupational injuries, a drop of 5 per cent from the 42,022 cases a decade ago. Over the same period, the number of industrial accidents fell from 17,249 to 12,547, a decrease of 27.3 per cent. In 2012, a total of 280 cases of occupational diseases were confirmed.

Inspection and Enforcement

The Labour Department inspects workplaces regularly to ensure compliance with occupational safety and health laws, particularly in high-risk industries and organisations with poor safety records. The department also conducts special enforcement operations targeting accident- prone workplaces and trades, such as new works construction sites, repair, maintenance, alteration and addition (RMAA) works sites, waste treatment workplaces, logistics, cargo and container handling workplaces, and food and beverages services activities, etc. The department also stepped up enforcement in the summer to protect outdoor workers from heat strokes.

In 2012, the department served 1,699 Improvement Notices on companies and organisations, ordering them to improve safety conditions at their workplaces promptly, and 704 Suspension Notices on those where work activities or the use of plant or substances posed imminent risks of death or serious bodily injury to employees. The courts heard 2,240 cases, convicting the defendants in 82.6 per cent of these and handing down penalties totalling $14.22 million.

Promotion and Education

The department, in collaboration with the Occupational Safety and Health Council (OSHC), continued a large-scale two-year publicity programme to enhance safety awareness among contractors and workers in the construction industry. The department held a Construction Safety Forum to consider measures to enhance the occupational safety of the construction

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