Hong Kong Celebrates Year of the Snake with Reception and Chinatown Festivities in London

2025-02-07 22:05 Last Updated At：22:18

London ETO welcomes Year of Snake with joyous celebrations

The Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office, London (London ETO) greeted the Year of the Snake in the United Kingdom (UK) by hosting an evening reception in London on February 6 (London time) and supporting a large-scale London Chinatown celebration at Trafalgar Square, Chinatown, and Charing Cross Road on February 2.

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London ETO welcomes Year of Snake with joyous celebrations Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

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London ETO welcomes Year of Snake with joyous celebrations Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases

The Director-General of the London ETO, Mr Gilford Law, welcomed over 450 guests at a Year of the Snake reception on February 6 at The Orangery, Kensington Palace, in London. Among the guests were UK government officials, parliamentarians, borough mayors in London, senior diplomats, leading figures in the business sector, academics, media representatives, and members of the Chinese community.

Speaking at the reception, Mr Law introduced the latest developments in Hong Kong on its economic and cultural fronts. Mr Law elaborated, "Hong Kong continues to flourish as a global business hub. Ranked the world's freest economy, the city welcomed a record 9 960 non-local companies last year, including 720 from the UK, surpassing pre-COVID levels. This reaffirms Hong Kong's role as a 'super connector' for British businesses. Beyond the economic sphere, we also saw the bilateral ties between Hong Kong and the UK reinforcing and deepening, from enhanced government-to-government dialogue to cultural and creative collaboration."

On February 2, the London ETO supported the grand annual Chinese New Year celebration in London's Chinatown, drawing audiences in the hundreds in some places and in the thousands in others, along the streets of Central London. Mr Law, alongside esteemed guests such as the Deputy Mayor for Communities and Social Justice of London, Dr Debbie Weekes-Bernard; Member of Parliament for the Cities of London and Westminster Ms Rachel Blake; and the Lord Mayor of Westminster, Councillor Robert Rigby, greeted the crowds in London from an open-air double-decker bus and onstage. Furthermore, a range of cultural and music performances took place at Trafalgar Square.

The London ETO will organise further events to celebrate the Year of the Snake in the countries under its purview in the coming weeks.

Labour Department Urges Safety Measures for Electrical Work Amid Hong Kong Rainstorm Warning

2025-03-15 15:01 Last Updated At：15:18

Employers, contractors and employees should be aware of electrical safety at work during rainstorm

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 (March 15) 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 Adverse Weather and 'Extreme Conditions'" 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.

Hong Kong Celebrates Year of the Snake with Reception and Chinatown Festivities in London

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