Occupational Medicine 1987;37:48-51
© 1987 Society of Occupational Medicine
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Health Experience of Compressed Air Workers during Construction of the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong
Occupational Health Division of the Labour Department of the Government of Hong Kong
This paper reports the health experience of compressed air workers during construction of the Island Line Section of the Mass Transit Railway in Hong Kong. The requirements of CIRIA's Code of Practice including specifications of the Blackpool Tables for decompression procedures and the employment of doctors to monitor the health of exposed workers by regular examination were prescribed by local legislation. Over a 3 year period there were 394 716 man-decompressions from pressures between 1 and 3-5 kg/cm2 with 2032 cases of acute decompression sickness giving a bends rate of 0-52 per cent. The epidemiology followed the usual pattern of increase in bends rate with increase in pressure and length of shift and with age. Most attacks occurred within a short period after decompression and the majority of limb pains affected the leg. There were also 10 cases of barotrauma and 22 cases of dysbaric osteonecrosis of which 7 resulted in some disability. The low incidence of illness was an index of the effectiveness of the Code of Practice as applied to a large scale compressed air work operation but the toll of dysbarism, albeit small, underlines the problem that there are as yet no decompression procedures which will protect all men at all times and indicates the need for further research and work-site evaluation.
Requests for reprints should be addressed to: W. K. Lo, Occupational Health Division, Labour Department Headquarters, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central Hong Kong.