ON May 15 custodial sentences of 12 and 18 months were imposed on a safety officer and a technician for the North Point construction hoist failure.
This seems to point to an imbalance between the heavy responsibility laid on the safety officer and the limited authority they have.
Even in the relevant government regulations, a safety officer, who is employed by the contractor, normally reports and makes recommendations to the contractor.
In practice it is difficult for a safety officer to enforce safety without active support from management. With limited powers it is probably not reasonable to hold someone fully accountable.
Labour Department inspectors are not given sufficient authority and support to effectively enforce safe working practices.
There has been much discussion and some revisions of regulations and inspections, and requirements have changed since the fatal accident in June 1993 but there are many lessons still to be learned.