Occupational injuries have decreased 30.8% in the last decade - from 63,526 in 1998 to 43,979 in 2007, Secretary for Labour & Welfare Matthew Cheung says. The injury rate per 1,000 employees fell 36.9% to 16.9.

Mr Cheung told lawmakers today the overall number of occupational injuries is on the decline despite the slight rise in occupational fatalities to 140 in the first three quarters of 2008, up from 129 cases for the same period in 2007.

The period saw occupational injuries in all workplaces drop 3.9% to 32,056 on the same period a year earlier. The injury rate per 1,000 staff fell from 17.1 to 16.1, down 5.8%.

The Labour Department has implemented measures to promote employers' and employees' occupational safety and health awareness. They include enforcement campaigns and publicity drives primarily targeting industries which are more prone to accidents, such as the construction and catering sectors, and high-risk work activities like repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works, work-at-height and container handling.

"In view of the impending commencement of major infrastructure projects and acceleration of minor works by the Government for the creation of jobs, we will focus more enforcement efforts on construction hazards such as work-at-height, repair, maintenance, alteration and addition works, use of electricity, tower crane operations, construction vehicles and mobile plants to deter unsafe practices," Mr Cheung said.