Tag Archives: China

     The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) today (February 16) gazetted a notice to extend the tender period for the contract for Fanling North New Development Area, Remaining Phase: Fresh Water and Flushing Water Service Reservoirs and Associated Works (Contract No. ND/2024/06) to noon on March 15.

     The CEDD invited tenders for the contract on January 5. The tender period was originally scheduled to expire at noon on March 1. Details of the tender notice are available on the CEDD’s website (www.cedd.gov.hk/eng/tender-notices/contracts/tender-notices/index.html).

     The CEDD has commissioned Binnies Hong Kong Limited to design and supervise the works. For enquiries, please call the company at 2601 1000 during office hours. read more

     The annual Bun Carnival in Cheung Chau is coming soon. The Bun Scrambling Final, which is the exciting finale of the event, will be held at the soccer pitch of Pak Tai Temple Playground on Cheung Chau on the night of May 15. Physically fit people aged 18 or above are welcome to take part in the event by submitting applications from February 19 (Monday) to March 18.

     The Bun Scrambling Competition comprises three stages – training, selection of finalists and the Bun Scrambling Final. All applicants who have completed the safety training sessions to be provided on April 7 on bun tower climbing and prevention of falls can enter the finalist selection exercise on the afternoon of April 14.

     The selection contest will be divided into two rounds. Twenty-four contestants recording the shortest time in the preliminary round, including no fewer than six female participants, will be eligible to enter the semi-final, during which they will compete for the 12 finalist places.

     The 12 finalists, comprising no fewer than three female participants, will be shortlisted in the selection exercise to enter the Bun Scrambling Final to be held from 11.30pm on May 15 to 12.45am on May 16.

     All male and female finalists will compete in the same race during the Bun Scrambling Final. They will have to scramble for buns, which carry different scores at different points, on the bun tower within a time limit. The one with the highest total score will be the winner. Moreover, the participant who bags the most buns within the specified time will be the prize winner of “Full Pockets of Lucky Buns”.

     To acknowledge the outstanding achievements of the winners and make the event more appealing, an award was introduced with effect from 2016, under which any male or female athlete who has won the first prize three times in the Bun Scrambling Competition will win the award and become the “King of Kings” or the “Queen of Queens” of the competition.

     In addition, local Cheung Chau organisations are invited to take part in the Bun Scrambling Invitation Relay. The three-member teams will compete in the relay which will be held immediately after the individual competition.

     Prospectuses and enrolment forms for the Bun Scrambling Competition will be available from February 19 at the 18 District Leisure Services Offices of the Leisure and Cultural Services Department (LCSD), and sports centres in the Islands District. They can also be obtained from the 2024 Bun Carnival dedicated website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/bun/index.html).

     Completed enrolment forms should be returned by hand or by post to the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD at Room 622, 6/F, Harbour Building, 38 Pier Road, Central, Hong Kong, on or before March 18. Applicants may also fax the forms to 2854 3949.

     The maximum number of entrants for the Bun Scrambling Competition is 200. If the applications received exceed the quota, places will be allocated by ballot. Applicants who live, work or study on Cheung Chau will have priority in the ballot.

     Besides the Bun Scrambling Competition, this year’s Bun Carnival will also feature a wide array of activities, including the Student Drawing Competitions and the Climbing Carnival.

     The drawing competitions are open for kindergarten and primary students in the Islands District. The competitions aim to promote the Cheung Chau Jiao Festival’s tradition of bun scrambling and local customs among youngsters. The submission of applications has already closed. Winners of the competitions will be notified via their respective schools in mid-March.

     At the Climbing Carnival to be held on May 5, there will be bun tower climbing relay competitions, the bun tower climbing fun day, game stalls, handicrafts and variety shows. A Wishing Bun Tower will also be set up and winning works of the Student Drawing Competitions will be displayed. Members of the public are welcome to join the carnival on the spot. Local tertiary institutions, government departments, public utilities and commercial and industrial organisations are invited to take part in the bun tower climbing relay competition.

     The 2024 Bun Carnival is jointly organised by the Hong Kong Cheung Chau Bun Festival Committee and the LCSD. For enquiries, please contact the Islands District Leisure Services Office of the LCSD on 2852 3220, or visit the 2024 Bun Carnival dedicated website (www.lcsd.gov.hk/en/bun/index.html). read more

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (February 16) that some leisure and sports facilities will be temporarily closed to tie in with the 2024 Tissot UCI Track Nations Cup – Hong Kong, China, which will be sta… read more

     The Government today (February 16) published in the Gazette the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance (Amendment of Schedules 1 and 2) Notice 2024. The Notice seeks to update the safety standards for toys and six classes of children’s products listed in Schedule 2 (Schedule 2 products) under the Toys and Children’s Products Safety Ordinance (Cap. 424).
 
     The six classes of Schedule 2 products are (i) baby walking frames; (ii) bunk beds for domestic use; (iii) child safety barriers for domestic use; (iv) children’s paints; (v) playpens for domestic use; and (vi) wheeled child conveyances. The Notice will take effect on August 1, 2024.
 
     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). 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. The last updates to Schedules 1 and 2 came into operation in September 2022 and August 2023 respectively. read more

     The Labour Department has urged contractors, employers and employees to be more vigilant, check their workplaces and take adequate safety precautions before resuming work after the Chinese New Year holidays.
 
     A spokesperson for the department said today (February 16) that both management and employees should pay more attention to work safety as their safety alertness might have diminished and workplace conditions might have changed after long holidays.
 
     The spokesperson said, “If the work involves processes, machinery or equipment with potential hazards, it is vital to check, prepare and implement necessary safety measures in advance before the commencement of work.
 
     “All scaffolding, working platforms, lifting appliances, temporary power supplies, gas welding and flame cutting operations, chemical processes, confined spaces, sewage works and excavations should be inspected by competent persons to ensure that they are in safe condition before putting them into use again or resuming operation.
 
     “Employees should also be fully advised and instructed to follow safety precautions when working at height or engaging in lifting operation, tunnelling works, electrical work and other hazardous work,” the spokesperson added.
 
     To prevent work accidents, the spokesperson urged contractors and employers to step up monitoring to ensure workplace safety after the holidays.
 
     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 a maximum fine of $3 million and imprisonment for six months on summary conviction.
 
     Meanwhile, employees should co-operate by following safety instructions and by using safety equipment.
 
     For enquiries on occupational safety and health, please contact the department’s occupational safety officers at 2559 2297. read more