Safety first: Permanent Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Matthew Cheung is briefed on the use of safety equipment.

The Labour Department and the Occupational Safety & Health Council have launched a subsidy scheme for small and medium-sized contractors to buy fall-arresting equipment.

Successful applicants will receive a subsidy up to $2,000. With an estimated expenditure of around $1.5 million, the scheme will benefit 600 firms. The enterprises must send employees to attend safety courses organised by the council.

Speaking at a work safety seminar today, Permanent Secretary for Economic Development & Labour Matthew Cheung said there were 12 fatal accidents involving truss-out scaffolds since 2000, killing 13 workers.

"The brackets used for supporting the scaffolds had only one to two bolts embedded into the walls. Under such circumstances, they could not withstand the weight of the scaffolds and easily loosened, leading to the accidents," he said.

Mr Cheung said accidents will be cut if workers fix the fall arrestors correctly. He advised renovation and maintenance contractors in financial difficulty to apply for subsidies to purchase "BS EN 795" Class B fall arrestor devices to minimise accidents.