EMPLOYMENT
Employment Ordinance at the earliest instance with a view to instituting prompt prosecution of employers.
Occupational Safety and Health
The Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the Labour Department administers the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and their subsidiary legislation to protect the safety and health of employees at work in almost all economic sectors.
Enforcement of the legislation is carried out through routine inspections of workplaces and special campaigns. To arouse safety awareness among employers and employees and to facilitate compliance of the law, the department promotes the Occupational Safety Charter, publishes a wide variety of guide books and codes of practice and undertakes other activities such as organising safety campaigns and awards, exhibitions and seminars.
Boilers and Pressure Vessels Safety
The Boilers and Pressure Vessels Division administers the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Ordinance to ensure the safe use and operation of pressure equipment. The division conducts regular spot checks on pressure equipment. It also conducts examinations for the issue of Certificates of Competency, investigates accidents and undertakes activities to promote safety.
In 2002, the division processed 2 075 applications for registration of equipment, conducted 6 444 inspections, and issued 603 Certificates of Competency and endorsements.
Occupational Health
The Occupational Health Service of the Labour Department aims to protect the health of workers from hazards in the work environment. It sets occupational health standards, monitors occupational hygiene practice in the workplaces and enforces occupational health and safety legislation. It undertakes medical examinations for radiation workers and government employees engaged in hazardous occupations, provides clinical consultation for employees with a work-related illness, investigates occupational diseases, arranges medical assessments for injured employees, and conducts health education and promotion programmes for workers. The service also provides hyperbaric oxygen therapy for treatment of decompression sickness in divers. In 2002, the service put special emphasis on promoting health and safety in the use of display screen equipment to tie in with the newly enacted Occupational Safety and Health (Display Screen Equipment) Regulation.
Occupational Safety and Health Council
The Occupational Safety and Health Council was established in 1988 to foster a safe and healthy working environment in Hong Kong through training, promotion, consultancy, information services and research.
Training and promotional initiatives focusing on high-risk industries have always been the council's top priorities. New training courses were conducted in support of new legislation. The number of training programmes was 630 and a total of 16 300 persons attended the training courses in 2002. Classroom training was strengthened with practical sessions on gas welding, forklift truck operation, working in a confined
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