The Labour Department (LD) has today (October 19) withdrawn the recognition given to the Association of Electrical and Mechanical Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited (AEME) for running the Gas Welding Safety Training Course under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Gas Welding and Flame Cutting) Regulation (Cap. 59AI) for persons employed at an industrial undertaking performing gas welding and flame cutting work.
A spokesman for the LD said the AEME was found to have breached the approval conditions attached to the running of the course. A trainer of the AEME discussed a large number of questions selected from the examination paper and their respective answer choices with all the trainees right before the written examination. In addition, a trainee was found cheating during re-examination but the trainer concerned and the invigilator did not take any action. The AEME subsequently issued a certificate to that trainee. Having conducted thorough investigation and evidence gathering, and having considered the explanations and representations given by the AEME, the LD decided to withdraw the recognition in view of the serious nature of the breach.
"We conduct surprise checks from time to time to monitor training course providers' compliance with approval conditions of safety training courses, as part of our efforts to ensure the quality of these training courses. Failure to comply with the approval conditions may result in the withdrawal of the recognition of the courses," the spokesman stressed.
There are currently 21 approved course providers running the Gas Welding Safety Training Course. The course information is available on the LD's website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/osh/content5.htm). People who need to take the course may enrol with these approved course providers.
"For enquiries, please call the LD's Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre hotline on 2940 7010 or the department's occupational safety and health advisory telephone service hotline on 2559 2297," the spokesman said.
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