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 July to September in 2024. 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. Confined Spaces Regulation and other Safety Regulations related to Risk Assessment
4. Major Safety Regulations related to Accident Prevention in Logistics Industry (including Storage Work)
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 (new course)
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 (new course)
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 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 contents and to 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.

     The 2024 edition of "Statistical Digest of the Services Sector" is published by the Census and Statistics Department (C&SD) today (May 31). The publication provides up-to-date annual statistics (for year 2013 and each of the years from 2019 to 2023) and quarterly statistics (from the third quarter of 2022 to the fourth quarter of 2023) on 14 major service industries/domains of Hong Kong for the more important statistical series.
 
     Users can download the publication at the website of the C&SD (www.censtatd.gov.hk/en/EIndexbySubject.html?pcode=B1080007&scode=520). Enquiries can be directed to the Logistics and Producer Prices Statistics Section of the C&SD (Tel: 3903 7257; email: services@censtatd.gov.hk).

     The Labour Department (LD) published a revised Code of Practice for Safety and Health at Work in Confined Spaces (CoP) in the Gazette today (May 31) to enhance the safety and health in confined spaces work.
      
     The major revisions of the CoP include the enhancement of requirements for proprietors' or contractors' supervision on confined space work; highlighting the factors for assessing whether a particular job constitutes underground pipework; adding a detailed template of the risk assessment form and listing out the setting of an air-monitoring alarm; and the update on the Permit-to-work Certificate template.
      
     A spokesperson for the LD said, "The revised CoP requires proprietors or contractors to adopt technology to record videos at the entrance and exit of the confined space throughout the entire work period to monitor relevant personnel's compliance with the safety precautions and to keep the record. Considering the time required for the industry to furnish suitable equipment and make necessary arrangements for implementing all safety precautions, there will be a six-month grace period. It will take effect on November 30 to allow the industry to have sufficient time for preparation."
      
     The spokesperson said that the CoP provides proprietors, contractors, competent persons and certified workers with practical guidance and technical information to comply with the requirements set out in the occupational safety and health legislation regarding confined space work for safeguarding the safety and health of workers.
      
     The spokesperson added, "This CoP has a special legal status. In criminal proceedings, if a relevant person fails to observe any provision of this Code, that failure may be taken by the court as a relevant factor in determining whether or not a person has breached the relevant safety and health legislation."
      
     The revised CoP can be downloaded from the LD website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8b.htm). Enquiries about the CoP can be made at 2559 2297.

Attention TV/radio announcers:
 
Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:
 
     The Civil Engineering and Development Department today (May 31) announced that as the Standby Signal No. 1 has been issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Chai Wan Public Fill Barging Point has been closed at 8.30am until further notice.

     The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government today (May 30) strongly disapproved of and condemned all baseless allegations by the United States (US) Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) and the European Union (EU) against the Safeguarding National Security Ordinance and Police National Security Department's law enforcement action which simply do not stand up to the facts.

     â€‹The HKSAR law enforcement agencies have been taking law enforcement actions based on evidence and strictly in accordance with the law in respect of the acts of the persons or entities concerned, and have nothing to do with their political stance, background or occupation.

     â€‹For the concerned law enforcement action taken by the Police in accordance with the Ordinance, investigation revealed that the acts of the arrested persons involved repeatedly publishing posts with seditious intention on a social platform with content provoking hatred towards the Central Government, the HKSAR Government and the Judiciary, as well as inciting netizens to organise or participate in relevant illegal activities. Offences in connection with seditious intention are very serious crimes, and no jurisdictions, including the US and those from the EU, will watch with folded arms acts and activities that endanger national security.

     We have emphasised time and again that the Ordinance only targets an extremely small minority of people who endanger national security, with the aim of protecting the lives, property, freedoms and rights of the people of Hong Kong. The offences under the Ordinance, including offences in connection with "seditious intention" will not hinder legitimate expression of opinions, such as making reasonable and genuine criticism of government policies based on objective facts.

     The Ordinance clearly specifies that the rights and freedoms enshrined in the Basic Law, as well as the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights as applied to Hong Kong, are to be protected in accordance with the law.

     The Ordinance is a piece of legislation to defend against acts and activities endangering national security. Only invaders who want to intrude into our home to plunder and loot should be worried by the Ordinance.