ENG-1996 — Page 173

EMPLOYMENT

In conjunction with the Information Services Department, a major publicity campaign was launched to promote industrial safety and health. Television and radio announcements of public interest were produced. Symposia and seminars were held on safety and health management, lift and escalator safety, and safety and health education and training.

To promote safety management and self-regulation, the Safety Promotion Section of the inspectorate helps major contractors to set up safety committees involving employers and employees. By year's end, the section had helped set up 352 safety committees. The section also assists management and workers to identify and assess hazards at work, and to devise safety and health programmes.

The Operations Division emphasises regulatory activities in high-risk areas of factories, catering establishments and construction sites. Special enforcement campaigns were launched to monitor high-risk working conditions in workplaces. During these campaigns, 15 229 factories, 471 catering establishments and 817 construction sites were inspected.

Special teams were set up to inspect construction sites at the new airport projects. They helped company and site level safety committee meetings formulate safety policies, review safety standards and procedures, and monitor safety performance on site. Construction site safety award schemes were launched for the construction. industry and the airport core programme project.

The Industrial Safety Training Centre of the Planning and Training Division conducts legislation-related safety training courses for workers, supervisors and managers. It gives safety talks to university and post-secondary students and to other organisations. The centre continued to help the Hong Kong Polytechnic University and the City University of Hong Kong organise evening courses leading to the award of certificates in industrial safety. It also helped the Construction Industry Training Authority run certificate courses for construction safety officers.

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 such equipment. In November 1996, the enforcement of gasholder examination was transferred to the Gas Authority after enactment of the Gas Safety Ordinance.

The division conducts regular spot checks to ensure pressure equipment in use meets the required safety standards; investigates accidents involving pressure equipment; conducts examinations for the issue of certificates of competency to boiler and steam receiver attendants and promotes equipment safety through literature and seminars. The division also gives the Fire Services Department technical advice on the approval and initial inspections of pressurised cylinders and storage installations for compressed gases.

The division processed 2 601 equipment registration applications, inspected 5 759 factories and 4 908 items of pressure equipment, and issued 417 certificates of competency and endorsements during the year. It also continued to assist the Haking Wong Technical Institute and the Occupational Safety and Health Council in organising training courses on the safe operation of pressure equipment. Two publicity safety seminars were held, attended by 294 persons, and one safety training course was conducted.

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