EMPLOYMENT
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The Boilers and Pressure Vessels Ordinance stipulates that boilers including thermal oil heaters, steam receivers, steam containers, air receivers and pressurised cement tanks mounted on trucks or trailers must be approved and registered with the division and must be examined periodically by qualified engineers. The division monitors the operation of pressure equipment through spot checks to ensure compliance with statutory requirements and investigates accidents involving pressure equipment.
To advise the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Authority on the effective control of pres- sure equipment, a Pressure Equipment Advisory Committee was established in June. The committee comprises representatives from pressure equipment users, local manufacturers, inspection bodies, academic institutions, boilers and pressure vessel inspectors' asso- ciations, workers, the Labour Department, Industry Department and Electrical and Mechanical Services Department.
Under the Gasholders Examination Ordinance, the division approves the design of gasholders and carries out inspection during fabrication and repairs, and subsequently conducts annual inspections.
Occupational Health and Hygiene
The Occupational Health Division of the Labour Department works to maintain and improve the physical and mental well-being of workers and to protect them against health hazards arising from employment. It provides an advisory service to government and the public on matters concerning the health of workers and the hygiene of the workplace and complements the Factory Inspectorate Division in supervising health standards and practices in industry.
During the year, the division took part in a number of seminars and exhibitions to promote occupational health. It also published a series of booklets and codes of practice on the prevention of occupational diseases. A video on silicosis and its prevention, sponsored by the Pneumoconiosis Compensation Fund Board, was also produced. Occupational health promotion and education activities were carried out by nursing officers to alert employers and employees to occupational hazards in the workplace.
A major responsibility of the division is to investigate notified occupational diseases and potential health hazards reported by the Factory Inspectorate and to determine preventive action. Surveys were conducted in various industries and a number of epidemiological studies on health and hygiene conditions have been completed. Programmes to monitor various chemicals, dusts and other occupational health hazards were also carried out.
The division carries out medical examinations of personnel exposed to ionising radia- tion, users of compressed-air breathing apparatus, and government employees working in compressed air or engaged in diving or pest control. It also deals with cases of silicosis under the Pneumoconiosis (Compensation) Ordinance. The division's registered nurses handle medical clearance for employees' compensation cases and its occupational health officers are appointed as members of Special Assessment Boards and Prostheses and Surgical Appliance Boards under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance.
Occupational Safety and Health Council
The Occupational Safety and Health Council, established by statute in 1988, is financed mainly by a levy on employees' compensation insurance premiums. The council is made up of a chairman, a vice-chairman and 18 members appointed by the Governor. Its