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 (June 23) 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 Typhoons and Rainstorms" 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.

Attention duty announcers, radio and TV stations:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible and repeat it at suitable intervals:

     Members of the public are advised to report any street flooding that comes to their notice to the Drainage Services Department by calling the 24-hour drainage hotline on 2300 1110.

Following is the transcript of remarks made by the Secretary for Food and Health, Professor Sophia Chan, after attending a radio programme today (June 23):

Reporter: Is the Government under greater pressure to impose a complete ban because of the medical sector and the medical schools are against the plan? And also on the contamination of drugs, do you think that there is a need to review the existing mechanism for registering the drugs?

Secretary for Food and Health: On the issue of the regulation of e-cigarettes, I want to reiterate that the Government's stance and the understanding of the harm of these e-cigarettes and heat-not-burn cigarettes are the same as that of the medical professionals. The medical and health professionals felt that we need to further strengthen the initial regulatory framework. We will continue to look at the latest evidence from international and local studies. We want to understand more about the prevalence of the use of these new tobacco products. Also, we want to review the entire situation of practices of other countries. We will continue to look at these factors to carve out our further actions. I want to reiterate that after reviewing all these evidence and factors, we do not rule out if necessary, the possibility that we would further strengthen our regulatory framework.

Reporter: Is there a need to review the registration of drugs?

Secretary for Food and Health: As far as the registration of drugs is concerned, we have a very robust system of the registration of any drugs coming into Hong Kong. The Department of Health's Drug Office has very stringent measures of drug registration. First of all, they have to be registered elsewhere. The Office will also look into the reports provided by the company to see the efficacy and quality of the drugs. I think this incident may not be an issue of the registration of drugs. Of course, the Department of Health is now testing the drug. We will also receive a report from the drug company. We will look into these reports. We appeal to the general public that the drug is now in question, they better not to take the drug even if they have bought it before. Anyway, they will not be able to buy the drug in the market now.

(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.)

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 23) that due to big waves, the red flag has been hoisted at Turtle Cove Beach in Southern District, Hong Kong Island. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.

Attention TV/radio announcers:

Please broadcast the following as soon as possible:

Here is an item of interest to swimmers.

     The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (June 23) that due to inclement weather, red flags have been hoisted at Clear Water Bay First Beach and Clear Water Bay Second Beach in Sai Kung District.  Beach-goers are advised not to swim at these beaches.