As the rainstorm warning has been issued by the Hong Kong Observatory, the Labour Department (LD) reminds employers and contractors that they should adopt necessary work arrangements and take suitable safety measures to protect the safety of their employees when they are carrying out electrical work or handling electrical plant.

     A spokesman for the LD said today (April 21) that employers and contractors should avoid assigning employees to carry out electrical work (like electric arc welding work) or handle electrical plant at places affected by rainstorms, and should refer to the "Code of Practice in times of Typhoons and Rainstorms" and the "Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather" issued by the LD.

     Even if electrical work is carried out or electrical plant is handled at places not affected by the rainstorm, suitable safety measures must still be adopted to prevent electric shock as the air would be more humid. Such measures include:

(i) Ensure that all live parts of an electrical installation are isolated from the power supply source and rendered dead, and the isolation from the power supply source must be maintained as long as electrical work is being carried out;

(ii) Before carrying out any electrical work or handling any electrical plant, cut off and lock out the power supply source, then test the circuit concerned to confirm it is dead and display suitable warning notices, and issue a work permit thereafter;

(iii) Ensure that protective devices (such as suitable and adequate fuses and circuit breakers) for the electrical installations or electrical plant have been installed and maintained in good working order, and portable electric tools must be double-insulated or properly earthed;

(iv) Provide suitable personal protective equipment such as insulating gloves and insulating mats for employees; and

(v) If live electrical work is unavoidable, a comprehensive risk assessment should be conducted by a competent person and the appropriate safety precautions should be taken to remove or properly control the electrical hazards involved before such work can proceed.

     In addition, employees should co-operate with the employer or contractor to follow the safety instructions and use the safety equipment provided.

     The LD has published guidebooks and leaflets on electrical work safety. These safety publications are available free from divisional offices of the department or can be downloaded from its website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8.htm).

     Should there be any questions about occupational safety and health matters, please contact the Occupational Safety Officer of the LD at 2559 2297.

     The Transport Department today (April 21) reminded members of the public that the 25th round of computer ballot registration for submitting applications for Northbound Travel for Hong Kong Vehicles (the scheme) will be open from 10am tomorrow (April 22) to 11.59pm on April 25, and the ballot result will be announced on April 26.

     Eligible applicants for the scheme can register for computer balloting through the designated website (www.hzmbqfs.gov.hk). Successful balloting applicants are required to submit applications for the scheme within the designated date and time randomly allocated by the computer system.

     To enhance the clinical experience in real-life work settings of local dentistry graduates, the Government has proposed amendments to the Dental Registration Ordinance, which include a new requirement, whereby the new graduates from 2025 at the earliest will need to undergo a one-year internship.
 
     As with the current mentorship programme the Department of Health (DH) is offering to the new recruits, the internships will require the graduates to rotate through different positions within the DH or specified institutions.
 
     News.gov.hk interviewed the DH's representatives as well as newly recruited dentistry graduates taking part in the department's one-year mentorship programme to find out how internships can benefit the profession as a whole.
 
     The story is available at www.news.gov.hk/eng/feature today (April 21) in text and video format.

     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) achieved outstanding results at the 49th International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva, winning seven gold medals,  silver medals and four bronze medals.

     A spokesman for the EMSD today (April 21) said, "As the innovation facilitator of the Government, the EMSD has been supporting various departments to identify and apply innovation and technology (I&T) solutions to improve government services, support smart city development and achieve carbon neutrality."

     Through E&M InnoPortal (inno.emsd.gov.hk), the EMSD has been facilitating the matching of technological needs from the Government with I&T solutions from the I&T sector. Some of the award-winning innovative technologies showcased at the Exhibition are the successful cases matched through the InnoPortal.

     The EMSD's winning projects are:

Gold medals

• Enabling System of Vehicle Positioning inside tunnel under traffic roads
• Acoustic Detector: Determine hidden machine failures by analysing sound signature using AI
• AI-powered Aqua-bot for Early Detection and Rapid Response for Invasive Alien Species (IAS) in Wetland
• Ball Type Rolling Robot for inspection and rescue
• EnviroSense: Intelligent Environmental Monitoring and Safety Assessment System
• AI-Driven Railway Regulator Inspection Planning System
• Management of Fire-fighting Tools and Rescue Equipment on Fire Appliances

  
Silver medals

• Autonomous Airfield Ground Lighting Cleaning and Inspection Robot
• Smart Health Sensing System
• Smart Tower Inspection with Drone, AI and Remote Monitoring
• AI Lift Occupancy Management System 
• Smart Capacitor Bank Health Doctor
• Comprehensive Safety Management System for Water Sports Centre (AI-based Long range Video Analytics)
• Comprehensive Safety Management System for Water Sports Centre (LoRa Waterproof Location Trackers)
• AI Assist on Statement Taking and Criminal Case Investigation
• Universal AI Interacted Automated Scenario Tester
• Use of Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) and IoT sensor technology in continuous monitoring of the conditions of the underground District Cooling System pipes and other services

 
Bronze medals

• High Accuracy Vehicle Classification and Counting System in Traffic Tunnels
• Smart Fence Protection System (SFPS)
• VisionGuard: AI-Empowered Robotic System for Automatic Fault Detection of light flickering with Semantic and BIM-AM Integration, Enhancing Building Performance
• ChillStream: AI-based Chiller Plant Optimisation System

 
     The International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva is one of the most significant global annual events on inventions. This year's event is held in Geneva, Switzerland, from April 17 to 21. More than 1 000 inventions from nearly 40 countries and regions were evaluated by the international jury of specialists. For details about the Exhibition, please visit inventions-geneva.ch/en/home.

              

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     Members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to their notice to the Drainage Services Department by calling the 24-hour drainage hotline on 2300 1110.