LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES
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to provide support to contractors in maintaining a safe and healthy working environment at public works sites. To further improve the quality and safety of the construction works, public works contractors were required, starting from April, to employ a minimum number of qualified and intermediate tradesmen for the execution of public works contracts. With the implementation of these initiatives, the overall accident rate of public works sites in the year ending December was about 50 accidents per
1 000 workers, which is about 25 per cent of the average accident rate for the construction industry as a whole.
Quality project management is an important element for the successful delivery of public works. The Works departments have already obtained a total of 28 ISO 9000 certificates covering their major activities. All consultants and contractors undertaking major public works were required to establish quality management systems and be in possession of ISO 9000 certificates. On this foundation, the Government is considering extending the same requirements to consultants and contractors undertaking medium-sized public works projects.
The Organisational Framework
The primary objectives of the Government's lands and works policies are to ensure an adequate supply of land to meet the short-term and long-term needs of the public and private sectors, to optimise the use of land within the framework of land use zoning and development strategies, and to ensure co-ordinated development in infrastructure and buildings.
The Secretary for Planning and Lands is chairman of a committee that is responsible for monitoring the general progress of the physical development of Hong Kong, as well as considering and endorsing detailed planning briefs, layouts and development plans. He is also chairman of the Town Planning Board.
In addition to his policy functions, the Secretary for Planning and Lands oversees the operation of the Buildings Department, the Lands Department and the Planning Department, as well as the Land Registry, which is operated on a trading fund basis. He also oversees part of the work of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department and the Territory Development Department.
The Secretary for Works is responsible for the delivery of public works projects cost-effectively, and for the formulation of policies on flood control, construction site safety, slope safety and water supply. He oversees, and has policy responsibility for, the activities of the seven Works departments, i.e. Architectural Services Department, Civil Engineering Department, Drainage Services Department, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, Highways Department, Territory Development Department and Water Supplies Department. He also oversees the operations of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund.
Planning
In 1999, town planning was carried out by the Planning Department under policy directives from the Planning, Environment and Lands Bureau. During the year, the department was involved in revising the proposals of the Town Planning White Bill; carrying out the Study on Sustainable Development for the 21st Century; updating the development strategies for different sub-regions; and reviewing the Hong Kong Planning Standards and Guidelines. It also identified housing sites, assessed housing