Author Archives: hksar gov

     The Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre of the Labour Department (LD) will launch a wide range of occupational safety and health training courses from January to March in 2025. The courses aim to enhance the working population’s awareness of occupational safety and health, as well as their understanding of the legal requirements and standards stipulated in occupational safety regulations.
      
     The training courses cover a wide range of topics, including:
 

1. Major Safety and Health Regulations related to Industrial Accident Prevention and Their Latest Amendments
2. Safety Management Regulation cum Safety Inspection Programme and Accident/Incident Investigation
3. Major Safety Regulations related to Accident Prevention on Work in Confined Spaces and other Safety Regulations related to Risk Assessment
4. Major Safety Regulations and Codes of Practice related to Work in Public Cargo Working Areas (new course)
5. Industrial Accident Cases Analysis and Related Safety Regulations cum Major Safety and Health Regulations related to Employees’ Duties (with one class to be conducted in English)
6. Safety Regulations on Working in times of Inclement Weather and Hot Environment
7. A Brief Introduction to Safety Regulations and Codes of Practice related to Construction Work (including Renovation, Maintenance, Alteration and Addition Works) 
8. Safety Regulations on Working at Height (including Truss-out Bamboo Scaffolds and Suspended Working Platforms) cum Codes of Practice on Scaffolds and Suspended Working Platforms
9. Major Safety Regulations related to Accident Prevention on Lifting Work (including Tower and Mobile Cranes) cum Codes of Practice for Safe Use of Tower and Mobile Cranes
10. Loadshifting Machinery Regulation cum Safe Use of Power-operated Elevating Work Platform and Common Heavy Machinery
11. Major Safety Regulations related to Accident Prevention in Catering Trade
12. Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and Regulation (with one class to be conducted in English)
13. Safety Regulations on Manual Handling Operations
14. Dangerous Substances Regulations
15. Health Hints on the Use of Computer cum More Exercise Smart Work
16. Occupational Stress cum Happy Workplace
17. First Aid in the Workplace
18. Strategies for the Prevention of Occupational Diseases cum Work and Healthy Lifestyle

 
     Unless otherwise specified, the courses will mainly be conducted in Cantonese at the LD’s Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre, 13/F, KOLOUR Tsuen Wan I, 68 Chung On Street, Tsuen Wan. Enrolment is free.
       
     Employers who wish to arrange for their employees to attend the courses can log in to the application website (www.oshtc.labour.gov.hk/wpas/?lang=en) or scan the QR code (see Annex) to learn about the course content and sign up for the courses. Interested employees can also enrol in the courses through the abovementioned channels on their own. For enquiries, please call 2940 7057. read more

     The Government launched a public consultation today (December 2) on the proposed updates to Schedules 1 and 2 to the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance (Cap. 424) to implement up-to-date safety standards promulgated by the relevant standardisation bodies for toys and children’s products listed in Schedule 2 (Schedule 2 products).
 
     The Ordinance stipulates that a person must not manufacture, import or supply a toy or a Schedule 2 product unless it complies with all the applicable requirements contained in any one of the safety standards (international standards or standards adopted by major economies) specified in Schedule 1 (applicable to toys) or Schedule 2 (applicable to Schedule 2 products) to the Ordinance. The Government keeps in view any updates or amendments to the safety standards so as to apply up-to-date and operative versions of the standards to toys and Schedule 2 products supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     As the safety standards specified for toys and for seven classes of Schedule 2 products, namely (i) babies’ dummies; (ii) baby walking frames; (iii) bottle teats; (iv) bunk beds for domestic use; (v) carry cots and similar handled products and stands; (vi) children’s paints; and (vii) wheeled child conveyances have been updated, the Government proposes to adopt the up-to-date versions of those safety standards under the Ordinance. Details of the proposals are available on the website of the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau at www.cedb.gov.hk.
 
     Members of the public are welcome to send their views on the proposals in writing to the Commerce and Economic Development Bureau at 23/F, West Wing, Central Government Offices, 2 Tim Mei Avenue, Tamar, Hong Kong, or by fax to 2869 4420, or by email to tcpso_standards_updates@cedb.gov.hk, on or before January 2, 2025. read more

     The Kwun Tong Occupational Safety and Health Centre of the Labour Department (LD) will launch a wide range of occupational safety and health courses in the first half of 2025. The courses aim at enhancing the working population’s understanding of the occupational safety regulations and their awareness of occupational health. 
 
     The courses cover a wide range of topics, including:
 

1. Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and Regulations
2. Gas Poisoning in Manholes
3. Confined Spaces Regulations
4. Major Safety Regulations Related to Working in Catering Trade
5. Dangerous Substances Regulations
6. Safety Management Regulation
7. Safety Regulations on Manual Handling Operations
8. Regulations Related to Safety in Hotel Industry
9. Safety Regulations on Working in Times of Inclement Weather and Hot Environment
10. Major Safety Regulations Related to Accident Prevention in Office and Storage Work
11. A Brief Introduction to the Regulation on Display Screen Equipment
12. Air Monitoring and Ventilation Systems in the Workplaces
13. Lighting Assessment in the Workplaces
14. Guidance Notes on Standing at Work
15. More Exercise, Smart Work
16. Strategies for the Prevention of Occupational Diseases
17. Occupational Health in Catering Industry
18. Chemicals and Occupational Health
19. Medical Examinations for Workers Engaged in Hazardous Occupations in Industrial Undertakings
20. Manual Handling Operations and Prevention of Back Injuries
21. Occupational Health for Security Guards
22. Chemicals and Occupational Health in Hotel Industry
23. Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work in a Hot Environment
24. Occupational Health for Office Workers
25. Health Hints on the Use of Computer
26. Prevention of Upper and Lower Limb Disorders
27. Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders for Office Workers
28. Occupational Health for Cleansing Workers
29. Occupational Contact Dermatitis
30. Manual Handling Operations and Prevention of Back Injuries for Workers of Residential Care Home
31. Occupational Health for Professional Drivers
32. Work and Common Gastrointestinal Diseases
33. Occupational Stress
34. Happy Workplace
35. Work and Healthy Lifestyle
36. Work and Diabetes Mellitus and Hypertension
37. First Aid in the Workplaces
38. Work and Cardiovascular and Cerebrovascular Diseases
39. Easy Tips for Healthy Eating at Work

 
     The courses will be conducted in Cantonese at the LD’s Occupational Safety and Health Centre, G/F, Kwun Tong Community Health Centre Building, 60 Hip Wo Street, Kwun Tong. Enrolment is free.
 
     Members of the public can apply via the online platform www.oshsreg.gov.hk/en or by fax. Please visit the LD’s website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/osh/content6.htm) for more details and call 2361 8240 for enquiries. read more

     A property owner was convicted and sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months, and fined over $31,000 at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on November 15 for persistently failing to comply with a removal order issued under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) (Cap. 123).

     The case involved unauthorised building works (UBWs) at a unit of a three-storey building on Yu Chui Street, Tai Lam, Tuen Mun, which included the removal of a slope, the erection of walls and a staircase, the removal of a protective barrier and the construction of unauthorised structures at the garden on the first floor of the building, with a total area of about 70 square metres. As the UBWs were carried out without prior approval and consent from the Buildings Department (BD), a removal order was served on the owner under section 24(1) of the BO.

     Failing to comply with the removal order, the owner was prosecuted by the BD in 2022 and was fined $10,000 upon conviction by the court. Although the owner subsequently removed the unauthorised structures at the garden on the first floor of the building, the owner failed to fully comply with the requirements of the removal order, including the failure to reinstate the slope and protective barrier in accordance with the approved plans and remove the remaining UBWs. The BD then instigated prosecution again in 2023; and the owner was convicted and fined more than $10,600 by the court. As the owner persisted in not fully complying with the removal order, the BD instigated the third prosecution. The owner was convicted again and sentenced to 14 days’ imprisonment suspended for 18 months, and fined a total of $31,020 at the Tuen Mun Magistrates’ Courts on November 15.

     A spokesman for the BD today (December 2) said, “UBWs may lead to serious consequences. The owners concerned must comply with the removal orders without delay. The BD will continue to take enforcement actions and consider instigating prosecution against the owners again if they persist in not complying with the orders, to ensure building safety.”

     Failure to comply with a removal order without reasonable excuse is a serious offence under the BO. The maximum penalty upon conviction is a fine of $200,000 and one year’s imprisonment, and a further fine of $20,000 for each day that the offence continues. read more

     The Secretary for Health, Professor Lo Chung-mau, will lead a delegation to Beijing this afternoon (December 2) to attend the 2024 World Conference on Traditional Medicine to be held in two consecutive days starting tomorrow (December 3), to engage in in-depth discussions and exchanges with senior health officials from around the world as well as experts and academics in the traditional medicine fields on issues including the inheritance and innovation of traditional medicine, and the promotion of integration of traditional medicine into healthcare service systems.
 
     The conference is jointly organised by the National Health Commission, the National Administration of Traditional Chinese Medicine and the People’s Government of Beijing Municipality in collaboration with the World Health Organization. Professor Lo will attend the Government Forum and deliver a keynote address to introduce to attendees from around the world Hong Kong’s achievements in fostering the development of Chinese medicine and the strategic direction for advancing the internationalisation of Chinese medicine.
 
     Members of the Hong Kong delegation include the Director of Health, Dr Ronald Lam; the Commissioner for Chinese Medicine Development of the Health Bureau (HHB), Dr Vincent Chung; the Assistant Director of Health (Chinese Medicine), Dr Edmund Fong; the Head of Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office of the Department of Health (DH), Dr Fung Ying; the Chairman of the Hospital Authority (HA), Mr Henry Fan; the Chief Executive of the HA, Dr Tony Ko; as well as officials of the HHB, the DH and the HA. The Hospital Chief Executive of the Chinese Medicine Hospital of Hong Kong, Professor Bian Zhaoxiang, will join the delegation for the conference.
 
     Professor Lo will return to Hong Kong on December 4. During his absence, the Under Secretary for Health, Dr Libby Lee, will be the Acting Secretary for Health. read more