S for Housing to visit Portugal and Spain
The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, will depart for a visit to Lisbon, Portugal, tomorrow night (July 1). She will attend the International Forum on Urbanism on July 2 and speak at the forum on the various housing initiatives implemented by the Housing Bureau and the Hong Kong Housing Authority in recent years to enhance people's livelihoods, encourage upward mobility, and promote innovative construction technologies, as well as the "Well-being design" guide launched last year.
During her stay in Lisbon, she will meet with relevant local officials. She will also officiate at a business luncheon co-organised by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area Development Office under the Constitutional and Mainland Affairs Bureau and the Hong Kong Economic and Trade Office in Brussels, to share Hong Kong's experiences in enhancing the quantity, speed, efficiency and quality of public housing construction by embracing various innovative rapid construction technologies and construction robotics, and continuously enhancing smart public estate management to build a more pleasant living environment for its residents. She also invited over 20 construction trade representatives from Hong Kong and the Mainland, including construction companies and consultant companies participating in the construction of public housing, Light Public Housing and transitional housing, to attend the luncheon. They will share in person with the participants Hong Kong's experience in applying and promoting innovative construction technologies, such as Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), Multi-trade integrated Mechanical, Electrical and Plumbing (MiMEP) and construction robots, and take this opportunity to strengthen connections between the Hong Kong and Portuguese trades and explore opportunities. Ms Ho will also call on the Embassy of the People's Republic of China in the Portuguese Republic.
Ms Ho will depart for Barcelona, Spain, on the evening of July 3 (Lisbon time) to visit local social housing projects, meet with relevant government officials to learn about housing issues there and their policies implemented, and promote Hong Kong's housing ladder that encourages upward mobility, as well as the application of innovative construction technologies in Hong Kong's public housing developments and management, the concepts of the "Well-being design" guide, and more.
Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong on the morning of July 6. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai, will be the Acting Secretary for Housing.
Labour Department highly concerned about fatal work accident that happened in Tsuen Wan today
The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a construction site in Tsuen Wan this afternoon (January 14), in which several oxy-acetylene cylinders fell from a container during a lifting operation and hit workers underneath, resulting in the death of one worker and injuries to two workers. The LD is saddened by the death and injury of the workers in the accident, and expresses its deepest sympathies to the victim’s family and the injured workers.
The LD's spokesman said, "We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and have issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending the lifting operation at the site. The contractors cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that suitable 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."
To prevent loads being lifted from falling and hitting workers, the LD reminds employers to ensure that (i) the loads have been safely and securely connected to lifting gear before lifting operations; (ii) the gate of the container holding the loads is properly locked or fastened; and (iii) lifting zone is demarcated and barricaded, with no one entering the zone during lifting operations.
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.
In regard to today'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 use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers.
Source: AI-found images
