Entries invited for Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme

     Local catering establishments are invited to participate in the Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme jointly organised by the Labour Department (LD) and the Occupational Safety and Health Council. Entries will be accepted from today (July 4) until July 19.
 
     Launched in 1999, the scheme aims to enhance the occupational safety and health (OSH) awareness of employers, employees and stakeholders in the catering industry as well as the general public. By commending good OSH performance of catering establishments, supervisors and workers, the scheme aims to inculcate a good OSH culture in the catering industry.  
 
     All catering establishments in Hong Kong are welcome to join the competition, which is divided into four categories: the Catering Establishment Award, Supervisor Award, Safe Worker Award, and Safe Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Award. The last award is newly launched this year to encourage proper use of PPE by workers and recognise their OSH performance.
 
    The Catering Establishment category will be divided into seven sub-categories: Chinese restaurants, restaurants (non-Chinese), hotels with kitchen, fast food shops serving Western food, fast food shops serving Chinese and general categories of food, cafés, and light refreshment eating places and canteens.
  
     Participating establishments are required to hold valid licences issued by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) on or before August 9 and throughout the competition period, and their licences should not have been suspended by the FEHD for whatever reason in the 12 months preceding August 9 and until the announcement of the competition results. Also, they should not have recorded any serious or fatal industrial accidents or received any Suspension Notices issued by the LD in the 12 months preceding the enrolment deadline.
 
    Two special awards, namely the Group Safety Performance Award and Safety Awareness Award will continue to be featured this year. The former is open to catering groups with more than one eligible outlet taking part in the preliminary assessment of the same sub-category of the Catering Establishment Award. To encourage participation of small-scale establishments, those catering establishments with no more than three outlets and which have undergone preliminary assessment in the Catering Establishment category but do not win any awards, will be presented Safety Awareness Awards.
 
     Each of the seven sub-categories of the Catering Establishment Award and the Group Safety Performance Award will have gold, silver, bronze and meritorious prizes. Winners of the Safety Awareness Awards, the Supervisor Awards, the Safe Worker Awards and the Safe Use of PPE Awards will also be awarded.
 
     Preliminary assessment of entries, covering mainly the physical condition of the workplace, will take place from late July to mid-August. Final assessment, which covers the safety management systems of catering establishments, will be conducted from late August to early September.
 
     To enhance the OSH awareness of the public and reduce the number of industrial accidents in the catering industry, the scheme will also feature a number of publicity functions, including a safety quiz for members of the public aged over 15 as well as catering establishments and related training bodies in the industry. The deadline for enrolment in the quiz is August 2.
 
     The Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme is co-organised and sponsored by the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board. Other co-organisers are the Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, the Hong Kong Hotels Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, the Association of Restaurant Managers, the Institution of Dining Art, the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, the Food and Beverage Management and Professional Staff Association and the Eating Establishment Employees General Union.
 
     Enrolment forms and brochures of the scheme and the safety quiz can be obtained from the LD's Occupational Safety and Health Branch offices and the Occupational Safety and Health Council on 19/F, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, or downloaded from the LD's website www.labour.gov.hk. Enquiries can be made on 2852 3567 or 2852 3565.