Over 16 per cent drop in industrial accident statistics in 1999

The Commissioner for Labour, Mr Matthew Cheung Kin-chung, said today (May 23) that there were 35,986 industrial accidents in 1999, a notable decrease of 16.4 per cent when compared with 43,034 in 1998.  The accident rate per thousand workers had also come down from 64.7 in 1998 to 55.1 last year, a drop by 14.9 per cent.

 "This demonstrates that there had been steady improvement in the safety performance of the industrial sector.  It also affirms that the policies we have adopted in promotion, education and law enforcement are beginning to pay off.  However, we must not be complacent and have to continue our efforts in minimising the number of accidents," he noted.

The Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council today signed the Occupational Safety Charter with the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong.

Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mr Cheung said the safety charter, though not a legal document, projected the very important message of "shared responsibilities" by employers, employees and the Government.

He noted that employers should shoulder the primary responsibility of providing a safe workplace, and employees should render full co-operation to ensure their safety and that of others.  The Government, for its part, would also promote occupational safety and health with legislative support, publicity activities and training.

 "It is only through genuine co-operation among the employers, employees and the Government that we can inculcate a safety culture and benefit from the 'shared responsibility'," he said.

Mr Cheung also said that Hong Kong's industrial safety performance was far from satisfactory but it was encouraging to see a significant decrease in the latest accident toll.

The signing of the Occupational Safety Charter by the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong and its member companies brought the total number of signatories to 347.  These include Government departments, major employer bodies, employee organisations and professional bodies.

Launched by the Labour Department in 1996, the Charter aims to encourage employees and employers to join hands in creating a safe workplace in order to ensure employees' safety and health.

Mr Cheung added that the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong was one of the organisations that gave their support and commitment towards the spirit of the charter when it was launched in 1996.  By bringing together the representatives of over 30 member companies to subscribe to the charter, it pledged a collective commitment by the management and the employees to shoulder the responsibility of occupational safety and health. 

"The Association has not only set an excellent example for the industry to follow.  It has also fostered an exemplary partnership among the Government, the Occupational Safety and Health Council, the Association and its member companies," he said.