SARS and bird flu will be included as occupational diseases following an amendment to the Employees Compensation Ordinance. The move brings the total number of occupational diseases under the law to 48.

The Labour Department said the amendment provides better protection to employees, expediting the compensation process for those infected. Employees engaged in high-risk occupations involving close and frequent contact with SARS or Avian Influenza A infection will be covered.

Specified high SARS risk occupations include medical and nursing staff, medical research or laboratory workers, pathologists, and post-mortem or funeral services workers. Around 94,000 employees are engaged in these occupations.

High bird flu risk occupations include handlers of poultry or birds or their uncooked remains or their untreated products, and research or laboratory workers. There are currently 5,000 people in these occupations.

A corresponding amendment has also been made to the list of occupational diseases specified in Schedule 2 of the Occupational Safety & Health Ordinance to enable the Labour Department to better monitor the health of workers who are at risk to occupational diseases. Under the ordinance, medical practitioners are required to notify the department of cases of occupational diseases that come to their attention.