Occupational safety and health training courses open for applications
The Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre of the Labour Department (LD) will launch a wide range of occupational safety and health training courses from January to March in 2026. The courses aim to enhance the working population's awareness of occupational safety and health, as well as their understanding of the legal requirements and standards stipulated in occupational safety and health regulations.
The training courses cover a wide range of topics, namely:
- Major Safety and Health Legislation related to Industrial Accident Prevention and Their Latest Amendments
- Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Management) Regulation and Safety Inspection Programme and Accident/Incident Investigation
- Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention on Work in Confined Spaces and other Safety Legislation related to Risk Assessment
- Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention in Logistics Industry (including use of tail lifts) and the latest revised Guidance Notes on Prevention of Trapping Hazard of Tail Lifts
- Industrial Accident Cases Analysis and Related Safety Legislation and Major Safety and Health Legislation related to Employees' Duties (with one class to be conducted in English)
- Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention on Electrical Work on Construction Sites and Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention on Demolition Work on Construction Sites (new course)
- A Brief Introduction to Safety Legislation and Codes of Practice related to Construction Work (including Renovation, Maintenance, Alteration and Addition Works)
- Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention on Working at Height (including Truss-out Bamboo Scaffolds and Suspended Working Platforms) and Codes of Practice on Scaffolds and Suspended Working Platforms (including the latest revised Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety)
- Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention on Lifting Work (including Tower and Mobile Cranes) and Codes of Practice for Safe Use of Tower and Mobile Cranes
- Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention on Loadshifting Machinery Operations (including fork-lift truck) and Safe Use of Power-operated Elevating Work Platform and Common Heavy Machinery
- Major Safety Legislation related to Accident Prevention in Catering Industry
- Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance and Regulation (with one class to be conducted in English)
- Safety Legislation for Manual Handling Operations
- Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Dangerous Substances) Legislation
- Health Hints on the Use of Computer and More Exercise Smart Work
- Occupational Stress and Happy Workplace
- First Aid in the Workplace
- Strategies for the Prevention of Occupational Diseases and Work and Healthy Lifestyle
Unless otherwise specified, the courses will mainly be conducted in Cantonese at the LD's Occupational Safety and Health Training Centre, 13/F, KOLOUR Tsuen Wan I, 68 Chung On Street, Tsuen Wan. Enrolment is free.
Employers who wish to arrange for their employees to attend the courses can log in to the application website (www.oshtc.labour.gov.hk/wpas/?lang=en) or scan the QR code (see Annex) to learn about the course content and sign up for the courses. Interested employees can also enrol in the courses through the abovementioned channels on their own. For enquiries, please call 2940 7057.
The Labour Department
Re-launch of Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses
Following the direction of earlier proposals, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 1) the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works (UBWs) in New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEHs). The reporting period will last for one year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
"In view of the history and unique circumstances of the NTEHs (commonly known as village houses), the Government launched a one-off administrative reporting scheme in 2012 as a special arrangement. Under the scheme, owners could report to the BD about UBWs that were erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law. The reporting period ended in December 2012. The Development Bureau (DEVB) put forward proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance in December 2024, which included rationalising the policy for handling UBWs. The DEVB also pointed out that in response to the views of villagers and Legislative Council members that the reporting period was too short, the Government prepared to re-launch the Reporting Scheme to allow owners who at that time did not report their UBWs to do so," a spokesman for the BD said.
Relevant stakeholders and Legislative Council members generally considered the above proposals practical and feasible, and they welcomed the proposals. The DEVB and the BD have also consulted Heung Yee Kuk on the relevant implementation arrangements.
The re-launched Reporting Scheme will maintain the original criteria, including:
(1) The types of UBWs that can be reported and their erection dates are the same as the original Reporting Scheme, meaning that only UBWs erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law and were not the First Round Targets (Note) are eligible. Examples include signboards projecting from the external walls of village houses; enclosed rooftop structures with a coverage of not more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area of the main building.
(2) Same as the original Reporting Scheme, owners are required to conduct safety inspections on the reported UBWs every five years.
"The BD will not require the immediate removal of the reported UBWs unless their structures become obviously dangerous. Regarding UBWs in village houses, the BD is prioritising the handling of First Round Targets. If any relevant UBWs remain not reported after the application deadline of March 31, 2027, the BD will, after dealing with the First Round Targets, take priority enforcement action against the non-reported UBWs. The BD will formulate enforcement strategy for the reported UBWs at a later stage in accordance with the risks and the actual situation," the spokesman added.
To enhance the efficiency of processing applications, reports must be submitted via the electronic platform on the BD's website by technically competent persons or registered professional engineers appointed by owners. In accordance with the user-pays principle, an administrative fee of $600 is payable for each application. Upon successful reports, owners must also pay the relevant administrative fee when conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years.
Details of the re-launched Reporting Scheme are available on the BD's website at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/ubw/UBW-in-new-territories-exempted-houses/index_relaunch_reporting_scheme.html; Villagers who wish to report can call 2626 1616 for enquiry. The BD will also use different channels such as distributing leaflets and posters to Rural Committees to enable villagers to know more about the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme.
Owners who had successfully participated in the Reporting Scheme in 2012 are not required to submit reports again. However, they must continue to comply with the requirements of the original Reporting Scheme, including conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years, submitting safety certificates and paying administrative fees to the BD.
Note: The First Round Targets refer to UBWs with higher potential risks and more serious nature, such as village houses of four storeys or more, and enclosed rooftop structures covering more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area.
Source: AI-found images
