Annual Report 2005

The Occupational Safety and Health Branch is responsible for the promotion and regulation of safety and health at work. The objective of the Programme of Safety and Health at Work is to ensure that risks to people's safety and health at work are properly managed and reduced to the minimum by legislation, education and promotion. More specifically, we achieve the objective by:

• providing a legislative framework to safeguard safety and health at work;
  
• ensuring compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (OSHO), the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (FIUO), the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Ordinance (BPVO) and their subsidiary regulations by conducting inspections and taking out regulatory actions;
  
• investigating accidents and occupational health problems at workplaces;
  
• improving the knowledge and understanding of employers, employees and the general public on occupational safety and health by providing them with appropriate information and advice; and
  
• organising promotional programmes and training courses to improve safety awareness of the workforce.

The principal legislation for safety and health at work includes the OSHO, the FIUO, and the BPVO.

With few exceptions, the OSHO protects employees' safety and health at work in practically all branches of economic activities. It is basically an enabling legislation that empowers the Commissioner for Labour to make regulations prescribing standards for general working environment as well as specific safety and health aspects at work.

The FIUO regulates safety and health at work in industrial undertakings, which include factories, construction sites, cargo and container handling areas, as well as catering establishments.

The BPVO aims at regulating the standards and operation of equipment such as boilers, pressure vessels, including thermal oil heaters, steam receivers, steam containers, air receivers and pressurised cement tanks mounted on trucks or trailers.

Through the concerted efforts of all parties concerned, including employers, employees, contractors, safety practitioners and the Government, Hong Kong's work safety performance has been improving since 1998. The improvement of performance in the construction industry was especially remarkable.

The number of confirmed occupational disease cases in 2005 stood at 256, similar to the figure of 251 in 2004, and the incidence rate was maintained at 10.3 cases per 100,000 employed workers. Compared to the peak in 1998, there had been a cumulative fall of 73 per cent and 74 per cent in the number and incidence rate of occupational diseases respectively.

For more statistics on occupational safety and health, please visit the following webpage: http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/osh/content10.htm

Some key indicators of work of this programme area are shown in Figure 4.1.

In February 2005, amendment has been made to the list of occupational diseases specified in Schedule 2 to the OSHO by adding two notifiable occupational diseases, namely Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome and Avian Influenza A, to better monitor the health of workers who are at risk to occupational diseases. Under the OSHO, medical practitioners are required to notify the Labour Department of cases of the specified occupational diseases that come to their attention.

To secure safety and health at work, we inspect workplaces, monitor health hazards, investigate work accidents and occupational diseases, register and inspect boilers and pressure equipment and advise on measures to control hazards or prevent accidents.

A key element in enforcement is to advise on prevention of accidents. We conducted special promotional visits to encourage employers to adopt a self-regulatory approach in managing risks at the workplace. We made regular enforcement inspections to various workplaces to monitor if duty-holders have observed all related statutory requirements stipulated in safety legislation. In addition, we conducted 14 special blitz operations targeting at various high-risk work activities, including working-at-height, scaffolding work, container handing and storage, handling of hazardous chemicals, and use of tower cranes. Some of these blitz operations were conducted not only on normal working days but also at night and during holidays to detect and clamp down on offending contractors. In these 14 operations, a total of 37 678 workplaces were inspected, with 706 prosecutions initiated, 587 improvement notices and 94 suspension notices issued.

We continued to put establishments with poor safety performance under close surveillance. Improvement notices or suspension notices were issued when necessary to secure a speedy rectification of irregularities, or to remove imminent risk to lives and limbs. Many of these companies, especially those in the construction industry, have shown significant improvements in their safety performance. In the light of the rising accident trend in container handling and building renovation and maintenance works, we have intensified our enforcement actions on the workplaces of these high risk trades. We have also enhanced the intelligence reporting system on unsafe renovation and maintenance works with the Hong Kong Association of Property Management Companies. In 2005, a total of 421 enquiry/complaint/referral cases were received through the system. As a result of inspections to follow up on these cases, 102 suspension/improvement notices were issued and 88 prosecutions taken out.

With a view to preventing the transmission of infectious diseases at work, we conducted focused inspections of high-risk workplaces including hospitals, clinics and elderly homes to ensure adequate provision of personal protective equipment and proper training in the use of the equipment. Inspection to warehouses was stepped up to ensure adequate protection of warehouse workers from inhalation of excessive exhaust gases and other air impurities. We also enhanced the inspection of offices to tie in with our initiative in preventing musculoskeletal disorders in office workers and hazards associated with the prolonged use of display screen equipment. In the year, 427 warnings and 50 improvement notices were issued.

The Commissioner for Labour, as the Boilers and Pressure Vessels Authority, recognises competent inspection bodies to assess and inspect new pressure equipment during manufacturing. As at the end of 2005, there were 30 appointed examiners and seven recognised inspection bodies. We also conduct examinations, monitor courses for training of competent persons and issue certificates of competency to qualified candidates as competent persons for various types of boilers and steam receivers. In 2005, 477 candidates were examined, of whom 411 were awarded certificates of competency. We also advise the Fire Services Department on approval and preliminary inspections of pressurised cylinders and storage installations for compressed gas.

We provide training-related services to help industry reduce occupational injuries. Such services are divided into three broad categories, namely provision of training courses, accreditation of external training providers and registration of safety officers and safety auditors.

In 2005, 116 applicants were registered as safety officers while 95 applicants were registered as safety auditors. As at the end of 2005, there were 2 793 persons on the register of safety officers and 801 persons on the register of safety auditors. Furthermore, we started to accept applications for renewal of registration as safety officers with effect from 7 September 2005. A total of 153 applicants were approved for renewal of their registrations as at the end of 2005.

Occupational health education is an important strategy for the control of occupational health hazards and prevention of occupational diseases. Apart from the conventional way of organising health talks at our own premises, we have also developed outreaching services for occupational health education by delivering talks at the venues of individual companies or organisations. In 2005, we delivered a total of 1 701 health talks.