Occupational Safety and Health

Statistics Bulletin
Issue No. 13 ( June 2013 )
Occupational Safety and Health Branch, Labour Department
This Bulletin provides statistics of work-related accidents and confirmed cases of
occupational disease in Hong Kong with information, analysis and trend on various
economic sectors and selected industries. Employers, employees and occupational safety
and health practitioners, by benchmarking against the overall accident rate and the industry
average in this bulletin, can better manage the occupational safety and health programme of
their own organisations.
The Labour Department attaches great importance to enhancing occupational safety, and is
committed to ensuring that risks to the safety of people at work are properly managed and
addressed through legislation and enforcement, publicity and promotion as well as
education and training. Through the concerted efforts of all parties concerned, including
employers, employees, contractors, safety professionals, trade associations, workers unions,
related organisations and government departments, there have been steady improvement in
Hong Kong's occupational safety performance in the past decade.
In 2012, the number of occupational injuries in all workplaces stood at 39 907, a decrease
of 1.7 per cent over 2011, while the injury rate per 1 000 employees decreased from 14.6 to
14.1, a decrease of 3.4 per cent. The number of industrial accidents in all industries in 2012
stood at 12 547, a decrease of 8.1 per cent over 2011, while the accident rate per 1 000
workers decreased from 23.6 to 21.3, down by 9.6 per cent.
The high-risk construction industry recorded 3 160 industrial accidents in 2012, 1.5 per
cent up when compared to 3 112 in 2011. Over the same period, the accident rate per
1 000 workers decreased by 10.8 per cent from 49.7 to 44.3. Although the number of
accidents fell heftily by 27.6 per cent and the accident rate also dropped by 34.9 per cent in
the past decade, the construction industry still recorded highest number of fatalities and
accident rate among all industry sectors.
1
Occupational Injuries

Number of Occupational Injuries
and the Injury Rate per 1 000 Employees
2003 to 2012
41 900
39 579
41 907
40 578
39 907
46 937
44 267
42 022
44 025 43 979
15.0
18.1 17.8
18.4
15.8 16.9
14.6
17.7
14.1
15.5
0
10 000
20 000
30 000
40 000
50 000
60 000
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Occupational
I njuries
0
10
20
30
Injury Rate per
1 000 Employees
No. of Occupational Injuries Occupational InjuryRate

In 2012, there were 39 907 occupational
injuries, lower than 40 578 in 2011 by
1.7%, 42 022 in 2003 by 5.0% and the
average of the past five years (40 774) by
2.1%.

The injury rate per 1 000 employees in
2012 was 14.1, lower than 14.6 in 2011
by 3.4%, 17.7 in 2003 by 20.2% and the
average of the past five years (15.0) by
6.1%.







Number of Occupational Fatalities
and Fatality Rate per 1 000 Employees
2003 to 2012
181
165
183
191
196
187 187
171
187
172
0.068
0.073
0.063
0.075
0.072
0.068
0.077
0.069 0.069
0.066
140
160
180
200
220
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Occupational
Fatalities
0.05
0.06
0.07
0.08
0.09
0.10
Fatality Rateper
1 000 Employees
No. of Occupational Fatalities Occupational Fatality Rate


In 2012, there were 196 occupational
fatalities, higher than 191 in 2011 by
2.6%, 171 in 2003 by 14.6% and the
average of the past five years (183) by
7.0%.


The occupational fatality rate in 2012 was
0.069 per 1 000 employees, the same as
that in 2011, lower than 0.072 in 2003 by
3.6% and higher than the average of the
past five years (0.067) by 2.9%

Occupational Injuries in Al l Workplaces
- Distribution by Major Economic Acti vities
2012
I mport/export,
Wholesaleand Retail
Trades,
Accommodationand
Food Services
31.9%
Others
16.3%
Transportation,
Storage, Postal and
Courier Services,
Information and
Communications
13.0%
Financing,
Insurance, Real
Estate, Professinal
and Business
Services
18.2%
Public
Administration,
Social and Personal
Services
20.7%



Of the 39 907 occupational injuries in
2012, over 83% occurred in the following
major economic sectors:

31.9% Import/export, Wholesale and
Retail Trades, Accommodation
and Food Services
20.7% Public Administration, Social
and Personal Services
18.2% Financing, Insurance, Real
Estate, Professional and
Business Services
13.0% Transportation, Storage, Postal
and Courier Services,
Information and
Communications

2
Industrial Accidents

Number of Industrial Accidents
and Accident Rate per 1 000 Workers
2003 to 2012
17 286
16 117
14 932
13 600
14 015
13 658
12 547
16 917 17 249
17 533
31.3
31.5
30.6
31.5
29.3
27.2
24.6 24.9
23.6
21.3
0
5 000
10 000
15 000
20 000
25 000
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Industrial
Accidents
0
10
20
30
40
50
Accident Rateper
1 000 Workers
No. of I ndustrial Accidents AccidentRate


The number of industrial accidents in 2012
was 12 547, lower than 13 658 in 2011 by
8.1%.

The accident rate per 1 000 workers in
2012 was 21.3, lower than 23.6 in 2011 by
9.6%.

Number of Industrial Fatalities
and Fatality Rate per 1 000 Workers
2003 to 2012
28
24
29
25
24
21
18
29
26
29
0.049 0.050
0.032
0.038
0.044 0.045
0.047
0.053
0.043
0.051
0
10
20
30
40
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Industrial
Fatalities
0.00
0.02
0.04
0.06
0.08
0.10
Fatality Rate per
1 000 Workers
No. of Industrial Fatalities Industrial Fatality Rate


In 2012, the number of industrial fatalities
was 29, the same as that in 2011.

The industrial fatality rate per 1 000
workers in 2012 was 0.049, lower than
0.050 in 2011 by 1.6% .




Number of Industrial Accidents and Accident Rate
per 1 000 workers in Construction Industry
2003 to 2012
3 112
2 755
3 400
3 548
4 367
3 833
3 042
3 033
2 884
3 160
68.1
59.9
64.3
61.4
54.6
52.1
60.3
49.7
44.3
60.6
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
4 000
5 000
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Industrial
Accidents
0
20
40
60
80
100
Accident Rateper
1 000 Workers
No. of I ndustrial Accidents Accident Rate
In 2012, there were 3 160 industrial
accidents in the construction industry,
higher than 3 112 in 2011 by 1.5%, lower
than 4 367 in 2003 by 27.6% and higher
than the average of the past five years
(2 989) by 5.7%.

The accident rate per 1 000 workers of the
construction industry in 2012 was 44.3,
lower than 49.7 in 2011 by 10.8%, 68.1 in
2003 by 34.9% and the average of the past
five years (52.4) by 15.4%.







Changeof HSIC Version
#
Changeof HSIC Version
#

3


Number of Industrial Fatalities and Fatality Rate
per 1 000 Workers in Construction Industry
2003 to 2012
25
17
25
19
20
19
9
23
24
16
0.337 0.367
0.163
0.376
0.405
0.379
0.303
0.422
0.268
0.390
0
10
20
30
40
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Industrial
Fatalities
0.0
0.2
0.4
0.6
0.8
1.0
Fatality Rate per
1 000 Workers
No. of Industrial Fatalities Industrial Fatality Rate

In 2012, the number of industrial fatalities
in the construction industry was 24, higher
than 23 in 2011 by 4.3%, lower than 25 in
2003 by 4.0% and higher than the average
of the past five years (19) by 26.3%.

The industrial fatality rate per 1 000
workers of the construction industry in
2012 was 0.337, lower than 0.367 in 2011
by 8.3%, 0.390 in 2003 by 13.7% and
higher than the average of the past five
years (0.329) by 2.2%.

Number of Industrial Accidents and Accident Rate
per 1 000 workers in Food and Beverage Services
2009 to 2012
6216
7 158
7 470
7 541
35.7
30.9
26.4
34.7
2 000
4 000
6 000
8 000
10 000
2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Industrial
Accidents
0
10
20
30
40
50
Accident Rateper
1000 Workers
No. of Industrial Accidents AccidentRate

In 2012, there were 6 216 industrial
accidents in the food and beverage
services, lower than 7 158 in 2011 by
13.2%.

The accident rate per 1 000 workers of the
food and beverage services in 2012 was
26.4, lower than 30.9 in 2011 by 14.5% .



Number of Industrial Accidents and Accident Rate
per 1 000 workers in Manufacturing Industry
2009 to 2012
1944
2001
1 991 2 009
15.9
17.8
18.2
16.8
0
1 000
2 000
3 000
2009 2010 2011 2012
No.of Industrial
Accidents
0
10
20
30
Accident Rate per
1 000 Workers
No. of Industrial Accidents Accident Rate

In 2012, there were 1 944 industrial
accidents in the manufacturing industry,
lower than 2 001 in 2011 by 2.8%.

The accident rate per 1 000 workers of the
manufacturing industry in 2012 was 18.2,
higher than 17.8 in 2011 by 2.4%.


4

Occupational Diseases

Total Number of Confirmed Occupational Diseases in
2003-2012
Number of Confi rmed Occupati onal Di seases i n
2003-2012
258 256
264
177
204
268
229
353
280
251
0
100
200
300
400
500
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

In 2012, there were 280 cases of confirmed
occupational diseases, compared with 353 in
2011.


Number of Confirmed Occupational Diseases in 2012
Occupational Disease Number
Occupational Deafness 99
Tenosynovitis of the Hand or Forearm 69
Silicosis 44
Tuberculosis 15
Gas Poisoning 14
Mesothelioma 12
Compressed Air Illness 12
Poisoning by halogen derivatives of
hydrocarbons of the aliphatic series
5
Occupational Dermatitis 3
Asbestosis 3
Brucellosis 1
Carpel Tunnel Syndrome 1
Streptococcus suis Infection 1
Leptospirosis 1
Total 280
The most common occupational diseases
confirmed in 2012 were occupational
deafness, tenosynovitis of the hand or
forearm and silicosis.

Occupational Deafness
The 99 cases of occupational deafness in
2012 were engaged in the following work:
43% Rock grinding, chiselling, cutting or
percussion
27% Metal grinding
22% Working near internal combustion
engines, turbines, pressurised fuel
burners or jet engines
2% Abrasive blasting operation
2% Working near car body repair or
making metal articles by manual
hammering
2% Metal percussion
2% Pile driving

The coverage of the Occupational Deafness
(Compensation) Ordinance has been
extended to employees with noise-induced
monaural hearing loss in April 2010. In 2012,
there were 50 such cases.
Number of Occupational Deafness in 2003-2012
74
52
60
51
47
58
77
70
99
157
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
180
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
5


Number of Pneumoconiosis in 2003-2012
74
69
109
67 65
86
63
44
68
61
3
9
5
1
5 2
7
2
4
6
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Sili cosis Asbestosi s
In 2012, there were 44 confirmed cases of
silicosis. Most of these cases worked in
the construction industry.

Those silicosis cases had history of
exposure to the silica dust in their
occupations many years ago. In the past
10 years, the number of confirmed cases
was in a decreasing trend but occasionally
with year on year fluctuation.

There were 3 confirmed cases of
asbestosis, they were employees in the
construction, quarry and shipbuilding
industries respectively.


Tenosynovitis of the Hand or Forearm
Pneumoconiosis
Number of Tenosynovitis of the Hand or Forearm in
2003-2012
63
40
39
48
70
75
43
35
34
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
70
80
90
100
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
69
Distribution by industry of the 69 cases in
2012:


In 2012, there were 69 confirmed cases of
tenosynovitis of the hand or forearm. The
disease was common among clerical
support workers, services and sales
workers, elementary occupations etc.
53.6% Public administration, and social
and personal services
8.7% Manufacturing
7.2% Accommodation and food services
7.2% Professional and business services
5.7% Import/export, wholesale and retail
trades
4.4% Construction
4.4% Transportation, storage, postal and
courier services
4.4% Real estate
4.4% Others
Gas Poisoning
Number of Gas Poisoning Cases in 2003-2012
14
3
5
8
5
4
7
10
3
3
1
17
11
17
4
26
28
4
5
1
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
40
45
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
No. of incidents No. of vi ctims



There were 3 incidents of gas poisoning in
2012 and 14 workers were injured. The
noxious chemical agents identified were
carbon monoxide, sewage gas etc.

6
Tuberculosis in Health Care Workers
Number of Tuberculosis in Health Care Workers in
2003-2012
30
42
30
18
16
25
18
11
17
15
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Regarding the 15 cases of tuberculosis
confirmed in 2012, the disease most
commonly occurred among nurses, doctor,
other health professionals, other
healthcare supporting staff, etc.
Occupational Dermatitis
Number of Occupati onal Dermati ti s i n 2003-2012
10
7
10
8
7
3
10
5
7
3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012

The causative agents identified among the
3 cases of occupational dermatitis in 2012
were related to cleaning agents.








Other Occupational Diseases
Number of Other Occupati onal Di seases
i n 2003-2012
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012
Carpal Tunnel Syndrome Radiation illness
Cadmium Poisoning Occupational asthma
Streptococcus suis infection Compressed Air Illness
Mesothelioma Leptospirosis
Avian Chlamydiosis Brucellosis
Poisoningbyhalogenderivatives of hydrocarbons of the aliphatic series

In 2012, there were 12 confirmed cases of
compressed air illness. All of them were
engaged in compressed air work.
In 2012, there were 12 confirmed cases of
mesothelioma and most of the cases were
engaged in the construction industry.
In 2012, there were 5 cases of poisoning
by halogen derivatives of hydrocarbons of
the aliphatic series, all the workers were
engaged in air-conditioning maintenance
work.
In 2012, there was 1 case of Brucellosis
and the worker was a meat handler.
In 2012, there was 1 case of Carpal tunnel
syndrome and the worker was a plumber.
In 2012, there was 1 case of Leptospirosis
and the worker was a cleaning worker.
In 2012, there was 1 confirmed case of
Streptococcus suis infection and the
worker was a meat handler.


7
8
Definitions and further information

Occupational injuries (including industrial accidents) are injury cases arising from work accidents, resulting in
death or incapacity for work of over three days, and reported under the Employees Compensation Ordinance.

Industrial accidents refer to injuries and deaths arising from industrial activities in industrial undertakings as
defined under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance.

Occupational diseases are the confirmed occupational diseases reported under the Employees Compensation
Ordinance, the Occupational Deafness (Compensation) Ordinance and the Pneumoconiosis and Mesothelioma
(Compensation) Ordinance.

Injury rate per 1 000 employees is calculated by:

Number of occupational injuries x 1 000
*Employment size

Accident rate per 1 000 workers is calculated by:

Number of industrial accidents x 1 000
*Employment size

*Figures of employment size are based on the Quarterly Report of Employment and Vacancies Statistics published
by the Census and Statistics Department.

The components that form the statistics may vary from country to country in respect of the legal
requirements in the reporting of accidents and occupational diseases, the economic sectors covered and
the definition of workforce. Accident and occupational disease statistics of different countries may not
be directly comparable and should therefore be interpreted with care.

#
Notes :
(a) Since 2009, the Quarterly Survey of Employment and Vacancies conducted by the Census and Statistics
Department has been enhanced to adopt the Hong Kong Standard Industrial Classification (HSIC) Version 2.0 to
replace the HSIC Version 1.1 in compiling the statistics on the number of establishments, persons engaged and
vacancies. Thenceforth all the statistics contained in the Quarterly Report of Employment and Vacancies
Statistics are in HSIC version 2.0. Only the coverage of the Construction Industry is the same in both HSIC
Version 1.1 and Version 2.0. Other industries, even with the same labels in HSIC Version 2.0, have different
coverage. For information of HSIC Version 1.1 and Version 2.0, please refer to the webpage of the Census and
Statistics Department.

(b)The number of occupational injuries/industrial accidents and injury/accident rates per 1 000 employees/workers
in 2009 and after are compiled based on HSIC Version 2.0, and may not be strictly comparable to those published
previously under HSIC Version 1.1.

For enquiry or further information relating to the accident statistics of this Bulletin,
please contact the Safety Management and Information Division at Tel 2815 0678 or Fax 2541 8537

For enquiry or further information relating to the occupational disease statistics of this Bulletin, please
contact the Occupational Medicine Division (Health Promotion) at
Tel 2852 4041 or Fax 2581 2049

For complaints regarding unsafe workplaces and practices,
please call the Safety Management and Information Division at Tel 2542 2172
All complaints will be treated in the strictest confidence
Email : enquiry@labour.gov.hk