Chemical safety, vol 4;1:20, May 1997Country News |
A Territory-wide Safety Award
Safety in construction work is not just about prosecution and court fines. The Labour Department and Radio Television Hong Kong together devised "Hong Kong Construction Safety Award Scheme" in order to promote better site safety management and safety awareness among workers. The Hong Kong Construction Association, the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees' General Union and the Occupational Safety and Health Council were coorganizers of this Award Scheme. Under this Award Scheme, contractors, site management and workers whose safety and health performance was outstanding were given due credits. This was the first territory-wide award scheme allowing both public and private contractors to compete on the same footing. The physical conditions of the sites as well as the safety management system of the sites concerned were appraised.
The awards included:
- Best Building Works Site Award
- Best Building Works Contractor Award
- Best Civil Works Site Award
- Best Civil Works Contractor Award
- Best Safety Team Award
- Safety Worker Award
The response was encouraging, with 53 construction companies and 94 sites taking part in the contest. An Award Presentation Ceremony cum gala evening was held on 24 March 1997. About 650 people attended this meaningful event.
Malaysia
Safety and Health Committee under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1994
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1994 (OSHA), which is based on the concept of self-regulation, places the responsibility for ensuring safety and health of workers with those who create risk and those who work with the risk. As such, Section 30 of the Act makes it compulsory for employers who have more than 40 workers to establish a safety and health committee at their workplaces, or otherwise directed by the Director General of the Department of Occupational Safety and Health. The main objective of the committee is to foster cooperation and consultation between management and workers in identifying, evaluating and controlling hazards at workplaces. The formation and functions of the committee are prescribed in the Occupational Safety and Health (Safety and Health Committee) Regulations of 1996. To facilitate the consultative process, the Regulations require equal numbers of management and worker representatives in the committee. Further the committee shall meet as often as necessary, but not less than once in three months.
Pakistan
A follow-up meeting of the Technical Advisory Group of the OSH Information Network was held on 9 January 1997, led by its chairman, the Joint Secretary Ministry of Labour. The eleven members attending constituted representatives from various federal ministries, provincial governments, employers and worker federations. The present situation was reviewed and future promotional actions in the sphere of the OSH Information Network were suggested. A directory of the profiles of 29 agencies, institutions and organizations involved in occupational safety and health in Pakistan has been published and distributed.
The Sindh Employees Social Security Institution of the provincial government of Sindh has decided to set up a cell for occupational diseases. The cell will further the issue of occupational health, which has previously been neclected in Pakistan.
Singapore
Singapore's Annual Safety Performance Awards 1996 In Singapore, companies that achieve good performance in safety are recognized by the Ministry of Labour's Annual Safety Performance Awards scheme. Last year (1996) a record number of 102 companies qualified for the awards, compared to 81 last year. The presentation ceremony was held in the Ballroom of the Westin Stamford Hotel on 26 July 1996. Six companies won the most prestigious OSH Excellence award. Four companies received the gold award, 37 won the silver award, and certificates of merit were presented to a further 55 companies. The awards were presented by the Minister for Labour, Dr. Lee Boon Yang.
Dr. Lee commended all the companies for their efforts in improving safety at their workplaces. He said that there had been significant improvements in safety performance over the years. The accident frequency rate had been reduced by 35% from 4.0 accidents per million man-hours worked in 1990 to 2.6 last year. This was not withstanding a 22.9% increase in the workforce over the five-year period.
Dr. Lee stressed that the cooperation and support of management and workers are needed to make workplaces safer and healthier for workers in Singapore.