ENG-2002 — Page 259

LAND, PUBLIC WORKS AND UTILITIES

encourage the industry to achieve a safer and healthier workplace. Through the procurement and contractual arrangement, contractors are required to carry out daily cleaning and weekly tidying of the construction sites, and to implement a 'Site Safety Cycle' to increase the safety awareness of workers. With the concerted efforts of all, the accident rate for public works continued to decline in 2002 to 24 accidents per thousand workers per year, representing a decrease of 30 per cent compared with 2001. The overall accident rate of the construction industry recorded a similar decrease in 2002.

In order to enhance the quality of public works, the Government has introduced a new tender evaluation system for works contracts. Other than tender prices, the new system also places emphasis on the quality of service and takes into account the tenderers' technical proposals for the works as well as the tenderers' past performance.

The establishment of the Provisional Construction Industry Coordination Board (PCICB) has provided an avenue for the Government to strengthen its close collaboration with the construction industry in pursuance of the recommendations made by the Construction Industry Review Committee. The board launched a website in March to enable the public to have access to its discussion papers, summaries of decisions, ongoing tasks and key deliverables.

To achieve better control and supervision of subcontracting, the Government has obtained support in principle from the construction industry to include a subcontractor management plan as a new tender requirement for public works contracts. As a complementary measure, the PCICB has drawn up for consultation with the industry stakeholders a set of draft guidelines on subcontracting practice and a broad operational framework for the voluntary subcontractors registration scheme. On employees' compensation insurance, the board has initiated a dialogue with the insurance industry to provide suitable insurance coverage for self-employed construction workers and to work out a premium rebate scheme to encourage better safety performance on construction sites.

Regarding the formation of a statutory industry coordinating body, the board has drawn up a preliminary framework for the industry-wide organisation tasked to spearhead reforms and to forge consensus on long-term strategic issues.

As part of the Government's comprehensive Slope Safety Strategy, a 10-year Landslip Preventive Measures (LPM) Programme, with a budget of about $9 billion, was launched in April 2000 to systematically upgrade substandard government slopes and carry out safety screening of private slopes. In addition, about $800 million will be spent in 2002–03 to maintain government slopes. For private slopes, a revised loan scheme on building safety improvement was set up in July 2001 to provide assistance to owners who need financial assistance to maintain their slopes. To further enhance visual harmony with the surroundings, landscaping will be included in upgraded or newly formed government slopes.

Organisational Framework

The primary objective of the Government's lands policy is to facilitate Hong Kong's continual development through a steady and sufficient supply of land, effective planning and use of land, and efficient registration of land.

207