Promoting safety: Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Stephen Ip and three Legislative Councillors unveil the "World Day for Safety & Health at Work" memorial plaque.

A plaque to honour the local workforce and promote the importance of work safety has been erected at the Science Museum's Occupational Safety & Health Gallery.

The "World Day for Safety & Health at Work" memorial plaque also pays tribute to those who unfortunately lost their lives or were injured in work-related accidents over the years.

Speaking at the plaque's unveiling, Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Stephen Ip said the Government has all along attached great importance to protecting employees' safety and health at work.

It has also been striving to enhance occupational safety and health standards, and minimise work injuries through law enforcement, promotion and education.

Number of work injuries keeps falling

The number of work injuries dropped continuously from the peak of more than 63,000 in 1998 to about 44,000 last year, down 31%. The accident rate per 1,000 workers dropped 32%, from 26.7 in 1998 to 18.1 last year.

According to International Labour Organisation estimates, 2 million people are killed in occupational accidents or die of occupational diseases every year. The number of occupational accidents and occupational diseases are about 270 million and 160 million, while the consequent financial loss is tantamount to 4% of the world's gross national product.

"These figures show that occupational safety and health should not be overlooked and local governments must implement effective measures to minimise work accidents," Mr Ip said.

"We must treasure our human resources and safeguard employees' safety and health at work. It is only through the concerted efforts of the Government, employers, employees, professional bodies and related organisations that we could reduce work accidents and cultivate a positive work safety and health culture," he added.