Dragages et Travaux (HK) Ltd reaffirmed its commitment to occupational safety and health by signing the Safety Charter in a ceremony officiated by Mr Chow Tung-shan JP, Assistant Commissioner for Labour and Mr Tang Wah-shing Executive Director for the Occupational Safety and Health Council.

Held on a near-completed construction site on June 17th, the ceremony was attended by Dragages’ staff and over 100 subcontractors, consultants, and partners in the industry.

In his welcome speech, Ludwig Reichhold, Managing Director of Dragages Hong Kong reminded the continuous efforts of Dragages in seeking improvements in its health and safety records. He emphasised the requirement for a partnering approach in a complicated process such as construction, which involves many different parties in the production chain.

“It is clear from our experience on … [large scale] projects that significant progress can only be achieved by the motivation, the commitment and the coordinated input of all concerned parties. No effort should be spared in the pursuit of the ultimate goal, which is a zero accident rate”.

“The real importance of signing the Safety Charter therefore lies in the joint commitment and the partnering spirit of all of us.” said Mr Reichhold.

Officiating at the ceremony, Mr Chow Tung Shan, JP, said he was pleased to see Dragages’ continued dedication in improving safety standards while pursuing excellence in engineering and in business operations.

“Dragages has taken the initiative to bring all its management staff and its contractors as well as consultant companies together to pledge their collective commitment to safety and health at work….It sets a common goal, a common commitment to a worthy cause.” said Mr Chow.

In a message from Mr Tang Wah-shing, who was also officiating at the ceremony, he highlighted the importance of safety commitment at all levels in the industry. “We are relying on everyone’s collaborative efforts in building a strong safety culture.”

The signature of the Charter was witnessed and supported by six client companies, and subscribed by twenty companies including subcontractors, consultants and professional bodies. In connection with the signature of the Safety Charter, four subcontractors of Dragages were selected and presented an award of the Most Proactive Subcontractor in Safety Management, based on their past safety performance in Dragages’ projects.

In the past five years, Dragages’ construction activities in Hong Kong have been maintained at an average of 8.2 million man hours level per year. The safety performance of Dragages has constantly been maintained well above industry standards.

Accident Frequency Rate / 1000 workers