ENG-1994 — Page 336

THE AIRPORT CORE PROGRAMME

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area in 1993. Both offices consist of EPD staff and specialist environmental consultancy teams. Their task is to monitor and audit the cumulative environmental effects of the construction works and to ensure that environmental issues are quickly identified and acted upon by the works agents. The offices also assist the government in dealing with local community concerns on environmental issues arising from the construction works.

Safety at Work

The government continues to promote safety at work and has increased its efforts to further improve compliance with safety requirements on the ACP construction sites.

The ACP Construction Safety Award Scheme is organised annually to recognise contractors and workers of those ACP sites which have implemented sound safety management systems and achieved good safety records. A series of other measures aim to improve the safety awareness and knowledge of workers and supervisory staff. For example, in 1994, NAPCO produced pocket-sized cards containing safety hints on 28 topics and distributed them at the sites. The Vocational Training Council and Marine Department also conducted marine industrial safety courses to educate more than 600 workers and supervisory staff on safety on board marine vessels at ACP sites. With the government's encouragement, many ACP contractors have introduced safety incentive and penalty schemes on their sites, and regularly publish safety newsletters for their employees. The government has also stepped up efforts to improve compliance with safety requirements on ACP sites. The Labour Department has expanded its special team tasked with checking the construction safety standards of ACP projects to 13 factory inspectors. In addition, more site staff have been assigned by the project offices to manage construction safety matters at ACP sites.

In 1994, the industrial accident rate for ACP contracts was 92 reportable accidents per thousand workers per year, compared with the corresponding rate of 295 for the construction industry as a whole in 1993.

Community and Public Relations

A comprehensive programme of community and public relations activities was imple- mented during 1994.

For schools, two ACP teaching kits were issued - one each for primary and secondary students. An ACP exhibition-cum-competition for secondary schools will be held in early 1995.

Eleven local exhibitions were mounted in various districts throughout Hong Kong, Kowloon and the New Territories - including Central and Western, Wan Chai, Eastern, Wong Tai Sin, Sham Shui Po, Kwun Tong, Shatin, Tsuen Wan, Tuen Mun and Yau Tsim Mong districts. Briefings were given to a wide range of audiences, both locally and overseas. Boat tours of ACP sites were also organised for various groups, including members of the Legislative Council; the Consultative Committee on the New Airport and Related Projects; the municipal councils; district boards; major business, professional and financial groups; consular representatives; teachers and the media.

Promotional publications included regular issues of an ACP newsletter, a fact sheet on the progress of works and a bilingual leaflet which was widely distributed at exhibitions.