Contractor fined for violation of safety legislation
In Construction Limited was fined $640,000 at the Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (September 4) for violating the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Lifting Appliances and Lifting Gear) Regulations and the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Safety Management) Regulation. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on September 30, 2025, at a foundation construction site in Tai Po. While a crawler-mounted crane was slewing on a steel platform, a female worker who stayed near the crane was suddenly trapped between the rear end of the crane and the metal railing of the steel platform. She was certified dead in hospital later that day.
The Shatin Magistrates' Courts, the Shatin Law Courts Building
DH holds Training Workshop on Comprehensive Smoking Cessation Intervention 2026
The Tobacco and Alcohol Control Office (TACO) of the Department of Health (DH) organised a two-day Training Workshop on Comprehensive Smoking Cessation Intervention for healthcare professionals from Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and Macao. The course concluded successfully today (September 4), with more than 130 healthcare professionals participating.
The training aimed to enhance healthcare professionals' skills in providing smoking cessation services. Content included smoking cessation counselling, prevention of relapse, treatment of tobacco dependence, motivational interviews about smoking cessation, case studies of smoking cessation and pharmacotherapy, providing healthcare professionals with the knowledge and skills necessary for different smoking cessation interventions and preparing them to help smokers quit smoking by various channels. As the legislation on the comprehensive smoking ban on construction sites has taken effect, this year's course also shared experiences and practices regarding assisting construction industry workers in quitting smoking, with the aim of working together to help construction industry workers quit smoking and establish healthy lifestyle habits.
Over 130 healthcare professionals participated in this year's training workshop, with approximately 20 per cent of them coming from the Chinese Mainland and Macao. This facilitated the exchanges of insights on tobacco control and the sharing of experiences in smoking cessation services among local and regional healthcare practitioners. Participants included representatives from non-governmental organisations that provide outreach smoking cessation support for working adults, with the aim of further promoting smoking cessation in the workplace (including construction sites). In fact, from December last year to July this year, non-governmental organisations subvented by the DH conducted over 230 outreach health talks for the construction industry, successfully attracting approximately 630 smokers working in the sector to use smoking cessation services to make quitting attempts.
Since being designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Smoking Cessation and Treatment of Tobacco Dependence in 2012, the DH has served as a regional hub for supporting training in smoking cessation treatment and services. Since 2021, a cumulative total of over 700 local and non-local healthcare professionals have participated in the training workshop on comprehensive smoking cessation intervention organised by TACO.
In addition to organising this training workshop on an annual basis, TACO organises the Annual Training Programme on Tobacco Control for tobacco control and smoking cessation practitioners across the Western Pacific region, and conducts the Chinese Medicine Acupuncture Smoking Cessation Training Workshop to help frontline healthcare professionals enhance their knowledge and skills in delivering cessation treatment. TACO has also prepared a variety of resources for healthcare professionals, including patient pamphlets, referral forms to cessation clinics, "Very Brief Advice" and "Brief Intervention on Smoking Cessation" delivery toolkits, online training courses, and a Practical Handbook for Smoking Cessation Treatments. These resources are designed to support healthcare professionals in helping smokers quit through various channels. Relevant information has been uploaded to TACO'swebsite.
To safeguard public health, TACO will continue to promote smoking cessation services and provide support in cessation training and assistance. Members of the public can call 1833 183 or visit the smoking cessation thematic website for more information on quitting and the available support tools and services.
DH holds Training Workshop on Comprehensive Smoking Cessation Intervention 2026 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
DH holds Training Workshop on Comprehensive Smoking Cessation Intervention 2026 Source: HKSAR Government Press Releases
