Mahjong parlour staff will be allowed to claim compensation from the Government for hearing loss suffered at work, according to official proposals. Staff will be allowed to claim more than $2 million from the central fund which compensates workers in 25 officially noisy occupations. Three other jobs are also included in the Government's proposed amendments to the Occupational Deafness Ordinance - abattoir workers who electrocute pigs, disc jockeys, and waiters and bartending staff. An employee at the Shui Hing Mahjong Parlour in Portland Street, Mongkok, said last night he was pleased that an occupational hazard was being officially recognised. He said he had worked in mahjong parlours for about 20 years. 'I have been on medication for some time and the doctor told me that I have a hearing problem - [I hear] about 10 per cent less than a normal person,' he said. The submission to be made by the Labour Department to legislators recommends raising the maximum compensation from $1.44 million to $2.016 million. The decision to include the four new occupations was made following a noise survey of 43 occupations by the Labour Department and a Singapore survey on the effects of noise on disc jockeys. The workplace deafness compensation scheme was set up in 1995. The bill will be published in the Government Gazette today and tabled to the legislature for its first reading on April 17.
