Industrial accidents happened one after another. A 65-ton scale collapsed on the Anderson Road Housing Society site in Sau Mau Ping earlier, resulting in three deaths and six injuries. All sectors of society are concerned about industrial safety.
Siu Qianwen, director general of the Industrial Casualty Rights Association, said on a commercial TV program this morning (18th) that sometimes accidents may arise from the design of sites, buildings, etc., but the current legislation does not address safety for design, even if accidents and design Or professional negligence related, but may not be able to prosecute.
She also sighed that there is no department dedicated to safety education in Hong Kong, and industrial safety education has only targeted workers for many years, but in fact everyone should have safety awareness, and the design itself must take into account safety. There is no place to buckle the seat belt.
▼ On September 7, a scale suddenly collapsed at the Anderson Road site in Sau Mau Ping▼
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Siu Sin-man discussed industrial accidents with Kwok Wai-keung, a Legislative Council member from the labor sector, on the commercial program "Government Good Sunday" this morning.
The host mentioned that the current legislation targets general contractors, but sometimes some accredited professionals are not held accountable.
Guo Weiqiang said that no matter the stage accident of the MIRROR concert in the Red Pavilion or the scale of the Anderson Road site, although the specific cause of the accident is still under investigation, it seems that recognized professionals have not fulfilled their due responsibilities.
He mentioned that some people may only be talking on paper, and have not landed on the site for inspection at all; on the contrary, the mainland will use drones or high-altitude cameras to monitor.
He went on to point out that if they have made omissions, they should actually be prosecuted, but he remembers that no relevant person has been punished for many years. He hopes that in the future, the amendment will extend the prosecution period to one year, and the evidence collection work can be strengthened to facilitate prosecution.
Xiao Qianwen, Director General of the Labour Rights Association (file photo/Photo by Ou Jiale)
Xiao Qianwen pointed out that Hong Kong’s laws do not address design safety, but in fact, industrial safety starts from the initial design, and everyone is responsible, not just workers. Singapore has relevant laws about six years ago.
She said that sometimes accidents stem from the site, building design, or the responsibility of professionals, because it is difficult to prosecute without relevant laws.
▼ On September 7, a scale suddenly collapsed at the Anderson Road site in Sau Mau Ping▼
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The government plans to increase the penalties of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, increasing the maximum penalty to 10 million yuan to increase the deterrent effect.
Xiao Qianwen said that at present, the fines for many industrial accidents are only tens of thousands of yuan. The proposed amount of the ordinance is lower than that proposed before, and it is hoped that it will be passed as soon as possible.
Guo Weiqiang said that there are different stakeholders in the parliament, and the direction is still being discussed, and he is confident that it will be passed within this year.
Xiao Qianwen also followed up with the family members of the deceased in the accident at the Anderson Road site. Among them, the wife of 41-year-old electrician Xu Wenming was suffering from cancer.
Xiao said that Mrs. Xu is currently in a stable condition, and she believes that there are more people who are worse than her. At this moment, she does not want medicine to be thrown around indiscriminately. She will discuss with the doctor before making a decision.
As for the two children, Xiao said that the two were probably aware of the accident and lived optimistically as usual, but she was also worried that the two did not know how to express their feelings and would pay close attention to whether it would affect their growth.
Guo Weiqiang (file photo/photo by Liao Yanxiong)
Xiao Qianwen mentioned that there has never been a department responsible for safety education in Hong Kong. He bluntly said that it has been "going in the wrong direction" for many years. In the past, safety education only reminded workers to wear safety helmets and seat belts, but in fact everyone should have safety awareness. From the beginning of the design, attention should be paid to safety. Sometimes the construction location does not allow workers to buckle their seat belts at all, but the site foreman only pays attention to the progress, and the manager ignores it.
She went on to point out that four scaffolding workers died last year, and there was also one case this year. If the building design had reserved spaces, in fact, the maintenance of air conditioners would have eliminated the need for scaffolding and other procedures, reducing risks.
She believes that there must be safety awareness in everything and suggests that it be included in the scope of school education.
The government plans to launch a pilot scheme for the rehabilitation of workers injured at work. Siu Qianwen said that she believes that it will help workers avoid waiting too long and thus miss the golden recovery period. She believes that psychiatric treatment should be added to the plan, because some workers will have emotional problems after being injured. .
In addition, the current resumption of work is not required by law. As a result, some workers have not been able to return to their original industries, and there is no support. It is recommended that they be forced to join the resumption arrangement and establish a rehabilitation fund to train workers who need to change careers.
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