SHIPBUILDING AND CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRIES (Particulars of serious accidents)

Encik Abbas Abu Amin asked the Minister for Labour how many serious accidents occurred in the shipbuilding and construction industries during the last five years up to 1987, and what measures his Ministry is taking to further reduce the rate of accidents in these two industries.

The Minister for Labour (Mr Lee Yock Suan): Mr Speaker, Sir, the number of serious accidents, ie, fatal or permanent disablement cases, in the shipbuilding and repairing and construction industries has fallen considerably over the last five years. I have asked the Clerk of Parliament to distribute copies of the detailed accident statistics for the two industries. [Copies of Annex (Cols. 1405 - 1406) distributed to Members.] Annex - ACCIDENT STATISTICS (1983 - 1987) (Cols. 1405 - 1406)

In the shipbuilding and repairing industry, the number of fatal accidents dropped from 9 cases in 1983 to 7 cases in 1987 after reaching a peak of 13 cases in 1984. The number of permanent disablement cases also decreased from 16 to 8 cases over the last five years.

Partly in line with the decline in construction activities, the drop in the number of fatal accidents in the construction industry was even sharper, falling from 65 cases in 1983 to 19 cases in 1987. The number of permanent disablement cases fell from 45 cases in 1983 to 16 cases in 1987.

My Ministry will continue its effort to further reduce accidents in these two industries. In the shipbuilding industry, special attention will be paid to the prevention of fires and explosions and of workers falling from heights. Stringent safety measures to prevent such accidents are already in place. Officers from the Department of Industrial Safety will inspect shipyards regularly to ensure that these measures remain effective. They will also continue to check on shipyards to ensure that qualified safety personnel are appointed and that the safety committees are effective.

As for the construction industry, the emphasis will still be on the prevention of accidents involving workers falling from heights and workers being struck by falling objects. My Ministry will continue to monitor closely safety at worksites through regular and frequent inspections. Our inspectors will work closely with the safety committees and safety supervisors who are responsible for site safety.

Further, my Ministry will continue to train and retrain our workers, supervisors and managers so that they are able to practise self-regulation to reduce accidents in the two industries.