There had been a remarkable improvement in the safety performance of construction sites in Hong Kong since the launch of the Considerate Contractors Site Award Scheme in 1995, Acting Permanent Secretary for the Environment, Transport and Works (Works), Mr Mak Chai-kwong, said today (April 10).
Speaking at the Considerate Contractors Site Award Scheme 2005 award presentation ceremony at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, Mr Mak said the number of accidents per 1,000 workers in public works contracts fell continuously -- from 56 in 1999 to 17 in 2005, a downward trend of 70%.
"For the construction industry as a whole, the improvement is equally remarkable. The accident rate per 1,000 workers dropped from 198 in 1999 to about 57 in 2005, also down by about 70%," he said.
Mr Mak said that such remarkable achievements could not have been possible without the concerted efforts of all parties.
"Despite this achievement, the number of fatal accidents in the construction industry has been on the rise in recent years. For example, there were 27 fatal accidents in 2005 compared with 21 in 2004, up almost 30%. Therefore, we must continue to strive to better our performance. Our target is to further lower the number of accidents as well as their severity to a level comparable with that of the elite of the developed countries."
To achieve this, Mr Mak said the bureau had been actively promoting the concept of construction design and management (CDM). The CDM is a risk assessment and management tool, which enables the project team to systemically identify and deal with safety hazards throughout project delivery, from preliminary design to project completion.
"We have adopted the use of CDM in a number of pilot projects for trial since 2003. So far, feedback from project teams has been very encouraging, and the pilot projects have been running smoothly with a good safety performance. The next step is to identify more public works projects to use CDM, and to promote its use in non-government projects by setting an example for the industry to follow," Mr Mak said.
The Considerate Contractors Site Award aims to promote safe construction practices. A total of 135 entries were received for the two categories of awards offered in the 2005 Scheme - the Considerate Contractors Site Award, and Outstanding Waste Management Performance Grand Award.
Of the 135 entries, 38 received the Considerate Contractors Site Award, including 17 from public works projects and 21 from non-public works sector. In addition, 21 of the entry sites received an award for their outstanding waste management performance.
Other officiating guests attending the event included the Permanent Secretary for Economic Development and Labour (Labour), Mr Matthew Cheung, and the Director of Buildings, Mr Cheung Hau-wai.
Ends/Monday, April 10, 2006
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