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pilot occupational safety and health service centre will be set up to further improve the government's service.
Occupational Safety and Health Council
The Occupational Safety and Health Council is committed to promoting a safer and healthier working environment. The council achieves its goal by education and training; promotion of the use of modern technology; dissemination of technical knowledge; provision of consultancy services; and encouragement of co-operation and communication among government, employers, employees, professional and academic bodies with similar goals. The council is a statutory body financed by a levy on the premium of employees' compensation insurance policies in Hong Kong.
It continued to inculcate a safety culture in various sectors of the community in line with the recommendations in the Consultation Paper on the Review of Industrial Safety in Hong Kong. The passage of the new Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance in mid-1997 developed new frontiers for the council in the promotion of safety and health in the workplace. During 1998, the council introduced initiatives to provide safety and health training for managers, supervisors and workers in establishing effective and efficient safety and health management programmes. These courses included office safety and health, ergonomics, safety and health for small businesses, fire prevention, electrical safety, safety at lift and escalator works, fork lift truck instructor and operator course, safety auditing, occupational hygiene, and the inspection and examination of boilers and pressure equipment. In-company courses were also offered to public utilities, building contractors, hotels, manufacturing firms, hospitals, building management companies, correctional institutions and government departments, etc. A total of 12 000 persons attended the courses in 1998.
The council also produced training kits consisting of videos, CD-ROM and other training materials to help industries train their workers, e.g., confined space work safety, safety work at height, office safety and health. Training kits with videos and easy-to-follow manuals were produced for management to conduct in-house training programmes. During 1998, the council teamed up with several large organisations of different industries including transportation, health care services, training and educational services, to develop training kits tailor-made for their operation.
In changing the safety attitude of the younger generation, the council started to revise and update its three teaching kits, namely the General Concept on Occupational Safety and Health, Summer Job Safety and Chemical Safety in 1998 with the Curriculum Development Institute of the Education Department for secondary school students. New elements would be introduced to enhance the contents. Special programmes on summer job safety were also organised at the end of the school term to increase safety awareness among young workers.
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A pioneering project between the council and the Provisional Urban Council Occupational Safety and Health Gallery at the Hong Kong Science Museum opened on November 30. This is a milestone project sponsored by the government and offering a series of well-designed, interactive, multi-media exhibits on OSH to cultivate a safety culture among youngsters.
During the year, the council organised 28 seminars, conferences and symposia on current topics of safety and health. A two-day conference and workshop on OSH for Good Business was held in March 1998 to promote good occupational safety and
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