New Commissioner for Labour attaches great importance to occupational safety and health

The new Commissioner for Labour, Mrs Pamela Tan Kam Mi-wah, said today (July 5) that she would attach great importance to the department's occupational safety and health programme and was firmly committed to taking all possible and pro-active measures to improve safety and health at work.

Addressing an in-house seminar for all the professional staff of the Occupational and Health Branch of the department, Mrs Tan said the Finance Committee of the Legislative Council had approved the funding for the installation of a major management information system for the branch at a cost of $26 million.  The system was scheduled for implementation in early 2002.

"The new system will provide the directorate with important information which will help in our strategic planning, policy formulation and identification of problems.  It will also improve the service which the department provides to the public," Mrs Tan said. 

"Through enhancing our performance in law enforcement, education, training, promotion and management of resources, the system will go a long way in helping to improve safety and health at work," she added.

The Commissioner was pleased to note the improvement in safety performance. 

"The number of industrial accidents in 1999 decreased by over 16% compared with the figures for 1998, while the accident rate per 1,000 workers for all industries also dropped by 15%. More remarkably, the number of accidents in the construction industry has recorded a sharp reduction of 28% over the same period."

"At the start of the new millenium, the safety performance in the industrial sectors continued to show steady improvement.  The total number of industrial accidents recorded in the first quarter of this year was 7,211, representing a decrease of 6.9% compared with the figure for the same period in 1999. In terms of accident rate, the figure fell by 5.5%. The construction industry performed even better, with the accident number and accident rate dropping by 21% and 23% respectively," Mrs Tan said.

However, she stressed that there was no room for complacency despite the gradual improvement in our safety records.  "The accident rate for the construction industry still stands at a high level of 198 per 1,000 workers in 1999," Mrs Tan said. 

"In other words, one in four construction workers was injured during the year.  There were also 47 fatal accidents in 1999," she noted, adding that she was indeed saddened by a fatal accident, which took place on her third day as the Commissioner for Labour. 

The half-yearly seminar was organised regularly to provide a forum for occupational safety and health professionals of the Labour Department (LD) to exchange views and knowledge on subjects of common concern. It also facilitates effective communication between staff and the management with a view to streamlining services.

Overseas specialists are often invited to these seminars to share their experience on particular topics with LD officers. This year, Ms Shiela Pantry, a world-renowned expert in the application of information technology in the field of occupational health and safety has been invited to give talks and have interflow with participants.