EMPLOYMENT
In conjunction with the Information Services Department, the inspectorate launched a major publicity campaign to promote industrial safety and health. Six television and radio announcements of public interest were produced. An award scheme was introduced for safety officers and symposia and seminars were held on safety and health management, lift and escalator safety, and safety and health education and training.
Special enforcement teams were set up to inspect construction sites at the new airport projects and to ensure marine work safety in a joint effort with the Marine Department. The inspectorate helped company and site level safety committee meetings to formulate safety policies, review safety standards and procedures, and monitor safety performance on site. Construction site safety award schemes were launched for the construction industry and airport cōre programme projects.
Boiler and Pressure Vessel Safety
The Pressure Equipment Division of the Labour Department administers the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Ordinance and the Gasholders Examination Ordinance to ensure the safe use and operation of such equipment.
The division conducts regular spot checks to ensure pressure equipment meets the required safety standards; investigates accidents involving pressure equipment; conducts examinations for the issue of certificate of competency to boiler and steam receiver attendants and promotes safety. It approves the design of gasholders and carries out inspections during construction, and annually thereafter. The division also gives the Fire Services Department technical advice on the approval and initial inspections of pressurised containers and storage installations for compressed gases. The division processed 3 057 equipment registration applications, inspected 5 280 factories and 5 825 items of pressure equipment, and issued 452 certificates of com- petency and endorsements during the year. It also continued to assist the Haking Wong Technical Institute and the Occupational Safety and Health Council in organising training courses on the safe operation of pressure equipment. Four publicity safety seminars were held, attended by 671 persons, and 22 safety training courses were conducted.
Occupational Health and Hygiene
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The Occupational Health Division of the department provides an advisory service to the public and the government on worker health and workplace hygiene, and complements the Factory Inspectorate Division in supervising health standards and practices in industry.
It has published a series of booklets and codes of practice on occupational health and the prevention of occupational diseases. The Pictorial Guide on Occupational Health in Office Environment is the most recent publication.
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 epidemiological studies on health and hygiene conditions were completed. These included surveys of health hazards in carparks, the dry cleaning industry, school dental clinics, toll booth collectors and the effect of ultraviolet radiation in the work environment. Programmes to monitor various occupational health hazards were also carried out.
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