The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a depot in Yuen Long yesterday afternoon (June 17), in which a male worker was hit by metal I-beams while assisting in lifting a bundle of the I-beams. 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 employer and contractors concerned, suspending the handling of I-beams at the depot. The employer and contractors cannot resume the work process 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."

     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 yesterday'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 properly use personal protective equipment provided to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers.

     The effective exchange rate index for the Hong Kong dollar on Tuesday, June 18, 2024 is 106.5 (same as yesterday's index).

     In response to the Japanese Government's plan to discharge nuclear-contaminated water at the Fukushima Nuclear Power Station, the Director of Food and Environmental Hygiene issued a Food Safety Order which prohibits all aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds originating from the 10 metropolis/prefectures, namely Tokyo, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Miyagi, Chiba, Gunma, Tochigi, Niigata, Nagano and Saitama, from being imported into and supplied in Hong Kong.
 
     For other Japanese aquatic products, sea salt and seaweeds that are not prohibited from being imported into Hong Kong, the Centre for Food Safety (CFS) of the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department will conduct comprehensive radiological tests to verify that the radiation levels of these products do not exceed the guideline levels before they are allowed to be supplied in the market.
 
     As the discharge of nuclear-contaminated water is unprecedented and will continue for 30 years or more, the Government will closely monitor and step up the testing arrangements. Should anomalies be detected, the Government does not preclude further tightening the scope of the import ban.
 
     From noon on June 17 to noon today (June 18), the CFS conducted tests on the radiological levels of 238 food samples imported from Japan, which were of the "aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt" category. No sample was found to have exceeded the safety limit. Details can be found on the CFS's thematic website titled "Control Measures on Foods Imported from Japan" (www.cfs.gov.hk/english/programme/programme_rafs/programme_rafs_fc_01_30_Nuclear_Event_and_Food_Safety.html).

     In parallel, the Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) has also tested 50 samples of local catch for radiological levels. All the samples passed the tests. Details can be found on the AFCD's website (www.afcd.gov.hk/english/fisheries/Radiological_testing/Radiological_Test.html).
 
     The Hong Kong Observatory (HKO) has also enhanced the environmental monitoring of the local waters. No anomaly has been detected so far. For details, please refer to the HKO's website
(www.hko.gov.hk/en/radiation/monitoring/seawater.html).
 
     From August 24 to noon today, the CFS and the AFCD have conducted tests on the radiological levels of 59 984 samples of food imported from Japan (including 38 760 samples of aquatic and related products, seaweeds and sea salt) and 14 840 samples of local catch respectively. All the samples passed the tests.

     Invest Hong Kong announced today (June 18) that Rime Capital Limited, with strong resource support and financial backing from the Mainland, has built a regional base in the city as part of its global strategy.

     The company is an asset management company licensed by the Securities and Futures Commission, with assets under management amounting US$350 million at its early establishment. Its partners include Shenzhen-listed Leo Group, and various investors and asset management veterans.

     The Director-General of Investment Promotion, Ms Alpha Lau, said, "We warmly welcome the opening of Rime Capital here in our city. Hong Kong is a premium international financial hub very well suited for Mainland financial companies with a global vision. We have a sophisticated financial market, a world-class regulatory regime plus a large number of high-net-worth institutions and individuals from around the globe, offering excellent market potential for Rime Capital and other asset management companies. I wish Rime Capital every success with their business in Hong Kong and beyond."

     Co-founder Mr Troy Lin said that Rime Capital Hong Kong aims at long-term stable revenue with minimal risk via a diverse portfolio of equities, bonds, structured products, secured loans plus alternate investments. He said that Hong Kong as a premium global financial hub offers a good environment for his company's expansion worldwide.

     "Hong Kong is not only a traditional global financial centre, it is increasing ties with the Mainland and other emerging markets in the region, and ASEAN (Association of South-East Asian Nations) adds a strong appeal for multinationals to set up base here. It is an ideal place for Rime Capital to scale globally." Mr Lin said.

     The company has a team of experienced investment professionals to manage portfolios for clients using a balanced approach, with a series of funds in place covering investments in bonds, quantitative equity funds, commodities futures, CTA (commodity trading advisor) funds and more.

     To obtain a copy of the photos, please visit www.flickr.com/photos/investhk/albums/72177720317864846.

  

     â€‹The results on creative thinking in the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 announced today (June 18) showed that the performance of 15-year-old Hong Kong students was on par with the international average. With reference from the study findings as well as Hong Kong students' performance in other assessments, the Education Bureau (EDB) will continue collaborating with various stakeholders to enhance the international competitiveness of Hong Kong students.
      
     In the cognitive test of the creative thinking assessment of PISA 2022 with a total of 64 participating countries or economies, Hong Kong students achieved a mean score of 32, comparable to the international average of 33. 
      
     An EDB spokesman said, "Hong Kong students displayed better performance in evaluating and improving ideas, and relatively stronger capabilities in social problem solving. On the other hand, their performance in generating diverse and creative ideas as well as visual expression has room for improvement."
      
     PISA 2022 defines creative thinking as the competence to engage productively in the generation, evaluation and improvement of ideas that can result in original and effective solutions, advances in knowledge and impactful expressions of imagination. The study assessed students’ performance in creative thinking through four types of cognitive test contents, namely written expression, visual expression, social problem solving and scientific problem solving.
      
     The spokesman said, "The results of this study once again demonstrated Hong Kong's remarkable performance in terms of education equity, ranking first among countries or economies with high academic achievements. This indicates that family background and socio-economic status have minimal bearing on Hong Kong students’ performance in creative thinking, and highlights that the Hong Kong education system provides all students with high-quality and equal education opportunities.
      
     "The EDB will draw reference from the findings of this study to further nurture students’ creative thinking and other generic skills, laying a solid foundation for their whole person development and lifelong learning," he added.
      
     PISA is organised by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and conducted every three years, with an aim of assessing the mathematical, scientific and mother tongue reading literacy of 15-year-old students. Findings of the latest cycle (i.e. PISA 2022) were released on December 5, 2023. Announced today were the assessment results in the innovative domain of the same study. Since PISA 2012, the OECD has included a specific innovative domain in each PISA cycle to assess students' 21st century interdisciplinary competences, such as the assessment of collaborative problem solving and global competence in PISA 2015 and 2018 respectively.
      
     Background information on PISA 2022 and key statistics of the creative thinking assessment results are available in the Annex.