Article
No.
18
19
Provisions
12
Comments
Noise and vibrations likely to have harmful effects on workers shall be reduced as far as possible by appropriate and practicable measures.
Every establishment, institution or administra- tive service, or department thereof, to which this Convention applies shall, having regard to its size and the possible risk
(a) maintain its own dispensary or
first-aid post; or
(b) maintain a dispensary or first-
aid post jointly with other establishments, institutions or administrative services, or departments thereof; or (c) have one or more first-aid
cupboards, boxes or kits.
There is at present no legislation controlling the emission of noise and vibrations in the working environment. It is the intention of the Labour Department to initially pursue a policy of publicity and workers' education on the hazards of noise in the working environment.
There is no legislation to require commerce or office establishments to maintain dispensary, first-aid posts, or first-aid boxes. Commerce and office establishments may not have difficulty in maintaining a first-aid box or kit but paragraph 65 of the Recommendation, which requires that such dispensaries, and first-aid boxes etc. should be under the charge of a designated person who is able to give first- aid would cause problems as there are not sufficient qualified first-aiders in Hong Kong. In view of the very large number of establishments to be covered by the Conven- tion, it will take quite some time to train up sufficient first-aiders. However, in registrable workplaces and construction sites the provision and maintenance of first- aid boxes or cupboards is mandatory under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (First Aid in Registrable Workplace) Regulations and the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations respectively. These regulations also provide that first- aid boxes or cupboards shall be placed in the charge of a team of responsible persons designated by the proprietor of such workplace or construction site, of which at least one member should be trained in first-aid.