Bulletin Number Two 1984

diseases. In Hong Kong at present, accidents at work are the most serious problem ， especially affecting the construction industry. The importance o f diseases arising from work (as opposed to accidents) is less certain and is d ifficu lt to measure. Nevertheless the number o f officially recognized occupational diseases for compensation purposes in Hong Kong was recently increased from twenty-one to thirty-seven categories. The Labour Department jo in tly w ith the Medical and Health Department and the Health and Welfare Branch are responsible for the administration, enforcement and coordination o f all matters relating to workers' safety, health and welfare in Hong Kong. The Labour Department has fourteen divisions, among which are the Factory Inspectorate (for safety), the Labour Inspectorate (for employment conditions), Employees' Compensation, and the Occupational Health Division. P. Chen: In the industrial sector o f Hong Kong, industrial pollution control is mainly dealt w ith by the Labour Department. An Assistant Commissioner heads a number o f divisions and units which directly or indirectly help control industrial pollution and deal w ith the problems caused by pollution. The work o f the Factory Inspectorate Division includes the inspection and investigation o f factories and work sites for air and noise pollution control. The A ir Pollution Control Division is responsible for air pollution control in the external environment o f the factories and work sites. The Occupational Health Division has its Occupational Medicine Unit (OMU) and Occupational Hygiene Unit (OHU). These units are responsible for specialist investigations into and control o f pollution problems in the factories. The OMU is mainly for the monitoring o f the work environment. There is also an Employees' Compen sation Division which has an Employees' Compen sation Unit and aPneumoconiosis Compensation Unit. The Division handles cases which involved employees who have been affected by pneumoconiosis and other related occupational diseases. The Department carries out investigations and inspections in factories to make sure that the factories are following the pollution control regulations set for the industrial sector. The factory inspectors give advice to factories concerning the methods o f pollution control. The Department also carries out environ­ mental and biological monitoring and survey work. The field survey work includes atmospheric monitoring on more than fo rty kinds o f industrial chemicals, ventila­ tion surveys on general ventilation and local exhaust, thermal surveys, noise surveys and lighting surveys. The Department also carries out laboratory analysis work. This includes air-pollution monitoring pro­ grammes on several chemicals and other pollutants such as sulphur dioxide, sulphur trioxide and smoke. P. M an: In controlling pollution and improving its environment, the Government can play amuch more active role in formulating new laws, in educating the public, and in funding more research on the environ ment. First ， the Government should formulate and implement more environment-related laws and regula tions. Such laws should aim at an 'input' approach rather than an 'output' approach in pollution control. Right now, almost all the attention has been focused on the output approach, i.e., 'given the amount o f pollution, what can we do to get rid o f the output?' A more effective approach is to ask the question why so much matter and energy flow into the system in the first place and devise ways o f preventing the release o f effluents into the environment. A strong regulatory agency has to be set up, and the Environ mental Protection Agency could be strengthened to fill such a role. Environmental Impact Statements must be filed before any large-scale projects, public or private, are approved. Industries (a major source o f pollution in Hong Kong) should be encouraged to produce less 'externalities' in their production process, perhaps w ith the incentive o f tax w rite-off in the pur chase o f pollution-control equipments. Secondly, public education on the effects o f pollution is urgently needed. The Government has not done enough in the education o f the public in terms o f environment protection. People tend to be lethargic about fighting pollution partly because they lack adequate information on the adverse effects o f pollution. Most people know that polluted air makes their clothes dirty, but they are unaware o f the much more serious consequences o f air pollution (such as the relationship between air pollutants and most