Three charities have been issued Public Subscription Permits to hold flag sales from 7am to 12.30pm today (November 23). They are, on Hong Kong Island, Children's Thalassaemia Foundation; in Kowloon, Chinese Evangelical Zion Church Limited; and in the New Territories, Sai Kung and Tseung Kwan O Women's Association Limited, a spokesman for the Social Welfare Department (SWD) said.
      
     Arrangements have been made with the charities to help people to distinguish among the three flag-selling activities.    
      
     Information on the three flag-selling organisations on November 23 is as follows:
 

 
     Details of the charitable fund-raising activities, including any updated information, covered by the issued Public Subscription Permits have been published on the GovHK website (www.gov.hk/en/theme/fundraising/search). Permits for flag days containing information on contact methods of the flag-selling organisations and the approved flag-selling activities have also been uploaded to the SWD's website (www.swd.gov.hk/en/ngo/controlofc/flagdays) for reference. For enquiries, please call the SWD's hotline at 2343 2255, or the designated hotline of the 1823 Call Centre at 3142 2678.
      
     In the case of suspected fraudulent flag day activities, people should not make any donation and should immediately report the matter to the Police, the spokesman added.

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened in Central this afternoon (November 22), in which a male worker, while repairing an escalator, was trapped by some machine parts that suddenly moved. He was certified dead later in hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family.
 
     The LD's spokesman said, "We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued a suspension notice to the contractor concerned, suspending the repair of the escalator. The contractor cannot resume the repair work until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risks have been taken."
 
     The spokesman added, "We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation."
 
     To prevent workers from being trapped by moving machine parts of escalators under repair, the LD reminds contractors to cut off the power supply and implement relevant Permit-To-Work system to prevent machine parts from sudden movement. If cutting off the power supply is impracticable, workers should keep a safe distance from any moving machine parts. The repair work should also be conducted under supervision by competent person.

     The general duty provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the relevant provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for two years on conviction on indictment; or $3 million and imprisonment for six months on summary conviction.
 
     In regard to today's accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its mobile application "OSH 2.0", website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers' unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents.
 
     The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees' compensation under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees' compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
 
     For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers. 

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a construction site in Tung Chung this afternoon (November 22), in which a male worker, while operating a power-operated elevating work platform for ceiling painting work, was trapped between the platform and a beam. He was certified dead later in hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family.
 
     The LD's spokesman said, "We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending the use of the platform. The contractors cannot resume the work until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risks have been taken."
 
     The spokesman added, "We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation."
 
     To ensure ceiling painting workers' safety, the LD reminds employers to conduct task-specific and thorough risk assessment and formulate safe method statement, including using suitable working platforms. If a power-operated elevating work platform is used, the work platform should be inspected by an operator to ensure that it is in safe working order before each use, and it should only be operated by a trained and competent operator.

     The general duty provisions of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the relevant provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $10 million and imprisonment for two years on conviction on indictment; or $3 million and imprisonment for six months on summary conviction.
 
     In regard to today's accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its mobile application "OSH 2.0", website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers' unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, and reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents.
 
     The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees' compensation under the Employees' Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees' compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
 
     For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers. 

     The presentation ceremony for the Hong Kong ICT Awards 2024 was held this evening (November 22) with MTR Corporation / The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology being presented the Award of the Year from the Financial Secretary, Mr Paul Chan. MTR Corporation / The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology is also the winner of the Smart Mobility Grand Award, surpassing seven other category winners with its winning entry "Public transport ridership simulation and railway planning – MTR to Keep Cities Moving".
      
     Mr Chan said, "The ICT Awards put a deserved spotlight on the remarkable talent, creativity and dedication of the people seeking to harness technology to reinvent products and services, to improve efficiency, to offer better care to the needy, and ultimately to make our lives and the world better."
      
     Noting this year's Hong Kong ICT Awards has introduced the "Best Use of AI" Award, Mr Chan said the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government believes in the vast potential of artificial intelligence (AI) which is a sweeping force in boosting productivity and enhancing the competitiveness of economy. And the Government has been working on multiple fronts to make it thrive, through supporting research and development, nurturing startups, fostering cross-boundary and cross industry collaboration, attracting strategic enterprises, and building the related infrastructure, including a supercomputing centre.
      
     The Hong Kong ICT Awards aims to recognise and promote outstanding local Information and Communications Technology (ICT) innovations and applications. It has been well-received as an annual flagship event of the local industry since its debut in 2006. In addition to encouraging and recognising local innovations, the Awards also serves as a springboard to help the winners and their products enter the Mainland and overseas markets.
      
     Organised by the Digital Policy Office and supported by the collaborative efforts of eight Leading Organisers, the Steering Committee, the Standards Assurance Sub-committee, the Grand Judging Panel, the Marketing and Promotion Sub-committee, judges, supporting organisations and industry associations, this year's competition concluded successfully. The Chairman of the Grand Judging Panel, the President of Lingnan University, Professor Joe Qin, congratulated the awardees and praised their innovative solutions for bringing unlimited possibilities to life and benefiting society as a whole. 
      
     Professor Qin said, "In the era of artificial intelligence, the newly introduced 'Best Use of AI Award' inspires further innovative applications, ensuring that information and communications technology remains in tune with the times and sustainable development." He firmly believes that education, technology, and talent are closely interconnected and encourages everyone to experiment and to contribute to shaping a brighter future together. 
      
     The Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Professor Sun Dong, presented trophies to the eight winners of Grand Awards to commend their outstanding performance. The awardees are:
 

 
     Besides, the winning entry "Medisafe" has fully demonstrated effective application of computational thinking for problem-solving, as well as students' great potential in the field of ICT. As such, the Grand Judging Panel unanimously recommended Ms Clarisse Poon of St. Paul's Co-educational College to receive the "Special Recognition Award" as an encouragement and commendation for her remarkable performance. The award was presented by Professor Qin to Ms Poon.
      
     Detailed information of the winners and the event are available on the website of the Hong Kong ICT Awards (www.hkictawards.hk).

        

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, reviewed the Fire Services passing-out parade for 16 station officers, nine ambulance officers, nine senior firemen/senior firewoman of the Mobilising and Communications Division, 95 firemen and 15 ambulancemen at the Fire and Ambulance Services Academy today (November 22).
 
     Speaking at the parade, Ms Ho expressed her gratitude to the Fire Services Department (FSD) for its full support rendered when the Government enhances speed and efficiency in increasing public housing supply. She appreciated that the FSD has maintained close communication with the Housing Bureau during the stages of approving plans and final works inspections, being target-oriented in serving the public. As a result, public housing residents in need can receive their flat keys earlier. Ms Ho also expressed her hope of continuously working closely with the FSD to ensure that the Basic Housing Units to be launched in future can enhance fire safety standards to benefit grassroots households.
 
     Ms Ho said that she was pleased to learn that the FSD is keeping up with the times by applying technology in operations, such as utilising big data analysis and artificial intelligence in mountain search and rescue, as well as enhancing efficiency and personnel safety in firefighting. She also mentioned that the newly developed Virtual Fire Scene Incident Command Training System, which allows firefighters in training to be free from weather, location and time constraints, enables FSD personnel to exercise decision-making in areas such as command, planning and resources allocation. These measures are in line with the Government's efforts in developing a smart city and smart building.
 
     Ms Ho added that fire and ambulance personnel not only step forward in firefighting and saving lives but also stay keen to participate in the promotion and education on fire safety and rescue. They raise public awareness of fire safety and equip the public to deal effectively with emergencies or contingencies. Such efforts are vital for safeguarding lives and ensuring public safety.
 
     The parade was followed by a demonstration of firefighting and rescue techniques by the graduates. The 144 graduates will be posted to various fire stations, ambulance depots and the Fire Services Communications Centre.