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Enhanced training programme for construction workers
An enhanced training scheme to promote greater safety awareness among construction workers will be launched in the next two months, the Secretary for Education and Manpower, Mr Joseph WP Wong, announced today (Friday).
Addressing the opening ceremony of the Safety and Health Conference for Safety and Health Practitioners, Mr Wong said the up-graded training programme was a result of intensive discussions among Labour Department, Works Branch, Housing Authority, Hong Kong Construction Association (HKCA) and Construction Industry Training Authority (CITA) over the past months.
He said the one-day course to be run by CITA would cover training on safety drills, legislation on construction site safety, general concept on site safety, accident prevention and operation safety.
"Course participants will have to take a test and will be issued with a green card on passing the test," he said.
The green card is valid for three years. Workers will only have their cards renewed on expiry after attending a refresher course and pass the associated test.
Mr Wong noted that HKCA, which first pioneered a green card system last year, would also adopt the improved training programme to ensure that there would be a unified training scheme for workers and all of them take the same test.
He said the Housing Authority and the Works Branch had agreed in principle that all new contracts awarded for their projects should include the green card training requirement.
"In the next three years, the Housing Authority will allocate $1.35 million to sponsor 3,000 construction workers to take part in the basic training programme.
"An additional of $1.9 million will be earmarked for the training needs of some 1,500 specialised workers, such as those working in enclosed areas, at elevated places or outer part of buildings.
"These workers will be required to take a two-day tailor-made training course. On passing the test, workers will be issued with a silver green card.
"Since June this year, all government contracts for the public works projects stipulate that contractors must arrange their construction workers to attend the green card training course and the training cost will be funded directly from the project cost.