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EMPLOYMENT

government departments have discussed a wide range of administrative, welfare and organisational problems.

A total of 114 special visits were made during the year to employers to promote joint consultation and other good labour relations practices. The labour relations service organised two discussion groups of employers to consider labour relations problems arising from the labour shortage, and representatives from 24 industrial establishments took part in these discussions. In October, the Labour Department issued a Code of Labour Relations Practice which sets out the principal guidelines for the promotion of harmonious labour relations between employers and employees.

Safety

The factory inspectorate of the Labour Department's industry division is respon- sible under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and its subsidiary legislation for the safety and health of workers in factories, building and engineering construction sites, and other industrial undertakings. Advice and assistance are given to management on the guarding of dangerous parts of machinery, the adoption of safe working practices, and the general layout of factories to achieve safer working conditions.

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance was amended in February 1976 to require the Commissioner for Labour not to issue any certificate of registra- tion or provisional registration to a factory in a non-industrial building for which the occupation permit was issued on or after March 1, 1976. This new provision in effect prohibits factories, except those engaged in service trades, in new buildings not designed and constructed for industrial use, and is in accordance with a new lease enforcement policy.

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Work in Compressed Air) Regula- tions came into operation on April 1, 1976. They provide for the safety and health of people working in compressed air-a new aspect of work arising from the construc- tion of the mass transit railway_which requires a considerable amount of tunnelling work under compressed air.

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Spraying of Flammable Liquids) Regulations came into operation on July 1. They provide for special safety precautions in any industrial undertaking which sprays flammable liquids.

The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Goods Lifts) Regulations were approved by the Legislative Council on May 26. They provide for the maintenance, examination and safe operation of goods lifts used in industrial undertakings.

During the year the Industrial Safety Training Centre provided safety training courses for workers from various industries as well as students from vocational train- ing centres and schools. Several courses on work in compressed air were also organised for supervisors engaged in this type of construction work.

On display at the permanent exhibition centre were a variety of machine guards, models depicting safe working practices at construction sites, and personal protective

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