Work safety performance in the construction industry dramatically improved in 2004 compared to 1998, Permanent Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Matthew Cheung says. In that time, the number of fatal accidents dropped 69.6% to an all-time low.

Speaking at a reception of the Safety Specialists Committee of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers tonight, Mr Cheung said the number of industrial accidents plummeted 80.4% while the accident rate per thousand workers dropped 75.7%.

In 1998, there were 43,034 industrial accidents, 68 of which were fatal and the accident rate per thousand workers was 64.7.

In the same year, there were 19,588 construction accidents - representing 45.5% of the total industrial accidents figure. What's more, the accident rate per thousand workers stood at 247.9 - nearly four times of the figure for all industries. The number of fatalities also reached 56, making up 82.4% of the total figure.

Comparing 2004 figures to that of 1998, the number of industrial accidents dropped 59.3% to 17,533, while the accident rate per thousand workers and the number of fatal accidents decreased 51.3% and 64.7% to 31.5 and 24.

There were 3,833 construction accidents in 2004, accounting for 21.9% of the total figure; the accident rate per thousand workers was 60.3. The number of fatal cases was 17, or 70.8% of the total figure.

Improvement demonstrates concerted efforts

"The improvement demonstrates the effectiveness of efforts made by all parties in the industry and the growing safety awareness of contractors and workers.

"However, we should not be complacent and should keep up our efforts to minimise the number of accidents," Mr Cheung said.

The safety performance of related industries, in particular property repair and maintenance projects, still warrants concern, he added.

"There were a few serious accidents relating to property repair and maintenance and manhole clearance in 2003 and 2004. These show that the industries' understanding of safety regulations is inadequate and safety measures have been disregarded," he said.

Enforcement against unsafe sites strengthened

To tackle these, the department has strengthened enforcement actions from last year at construction sites where repair and maintenance works are conducted. Suspension notices are issued on-site to law-offending contractors.