The Labour Department (LD) will hold a public talk entitled "Occupational health of office workers series (II): Prevention of musculoskeletal disorders" on August 22 (Thursday) at 3pm. Through analysing the causes and preventive measures of musculoskeletal disorders, the talk aims to enhance office workers' awareness of musculoskeletal disorders of the upper limbs, waist and back arising from prolonged repetitive movements or improper sitting posture. Demonstration and practice of workplace exercise will be included.
           
     The LD will hold another talk entitled "Health hazards of hot environment at work" on August 26 (Monday) at 3pm. The talk, designed for workers in hot environments to enhance their awareness of heat stroke prevention, will cover symptoms of heat stroke, its first aid treatment and preventive measures.
      
     Both talks will be given by the LD's occupational health nurse and occupational hygienist in Cantonese at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Admission is free. For enquiries or registration, please call 2852 4040.

     To support the employment of persons with disabilities, the Social Welfare Department launched the Support Programme for Employees with Disabilities (SPED) in June 2013 to provide employers of persons with disabilities with a one-off subsidy for each employee with disabilities for procurement of assistive devices and/or workplace modifications. The programme seeks to facilitate employees with disabilities in discharging their duties in the workplace and enhance their work efficiency. The SPED is open for application all-year round with effect from February 11, 2019.

     The subsidy is capped at a maximum support level of $20,000 for each employee with disabilities. Starting from 2014-15, a grant of up to $40,000 may be considered for deserving cases for which the price of a single item of an assistive device and its essential accessories exceeds $20,000.

     A wide range of assistive devices and workplace modifications which cater to the special needs of employees with disabilities at the workplace will be considered. Examples include computer accessories or adaptive equipment, optical magnifying devices, hearing and assistive devices, Braille products and handrails.

     The Po Leung Kuk has been commissioned to serve as the SPED administrator. It assists in administering and promoting the SPED, provides advisory services and follows up on the progress of the subsidised programmes. It also prepares assessments on the applications and makes recommendations to the Committee on the SPED set-up by the SWD for consideration.

     Employers may apply for a subsidy under the SPED through nomination of the following referring organisations:
 

1. non-governmental organisations (NGOs) operating SWD-subvented vocational rehabilitation services;
2. NGOs running training courses for persons with disabilities or persons recovering from work injuries with the funding support of the Employees Retraining Board;
3. the Selective Placement Division of the Labour Department;
4. the Vocational Training Council; or
5. the SPED administrator (Po Leung Kuk).

     Employers may submit their completed application forms together with the required documents by mail or by hand to the SWD through the referring organisations. No application fee is required and each applicant may submit more than one application.

     For enquiries, please contact the Po Leung Kuk SPED Office by phone at 3980 9677, by email at sped@poleungkuk.org.hk or by fax at 3980 9633.

     For more details, and to access the information note and SPED application form, people may visit and download from the SWD homepage www.swd.gov.hk/en/index/site_pubsvc/page_rehab/sub_listofserv/id_vocational/id_sped/.

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 (August 15) that due to big waves, red flag has been hoisted at Lo So Shing Beach in Islands District. Beach-goers are advised not to swim at the beach.

     The Labour Department (LD) will hold a briefing on the employment of foreign domestic helpers (FDHs) on September 21 (Saturday) at 7.30pm at the Lecture Hall of the Hong Kong Space Museum, 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui. Enrolment is now open.
      
     The employment rights and obligations of employers of FDHs will be introduced. Ms Astrid Chan, a locally renowned master of ceremonies and trainer, has been invited to talk about her experience in getting along with FDHs, including how to deal with conflicts with them. Employers of FDHs, especially first-time employers, are welcome to attend.
      
     The briefing will be conducted in Cantonese and admission is free. Seats will be allocated on a first-come, first-served basis. The enrolment deadline is September 19 (Thursday). The enrolment form can be downloaded from the department's website (www.labour.gov.hk). For enquiries, please call the LD at 2852 4000.

     â€‹The Fire Services Department (FSD) had responded to a total of seven emergency ambulance calls during the mass gathering at the Hong Kong International Airport yesterday (August 13). At the time of the rescue operation, the radical acts of some protesters had seriously affected the department's service delivery.
      
     When dealing with two of the cases, the FSD's ambulance crews were confronted by protesters who refused to make way for them which hindered the service delivery.  Consequently, the crews took a very long time to reach the injured, provide them with ambulance aid and convey them to hospital. In one serious case, it took more than three hours for the crew to take the injured person to the ambulance for conveyance to hospital. An ambulanceman sustained injury after being repeatedly hit by protesters while handling the injured person. It was also noted that some protestors snatched or damaged ambulance tools and equipment, causing serious hindrance to the rescue operations. The FSD strongly condemns and deeply regrets these acts which are not acceptable to the community and have seriously hindered its delivery of emergency ambulance service. 
      
     A spokesman for the FSD said, "We must stress that ambulance personnel have to race against time in the provision of emergency ambulance service. Any delay in the process may cause patients to miss the best timing for treatment and pose serious threats to their lives.
      
     "In the spirit of 'Serving with Courage, Passion and Commitment', the FSD provides emergency ambulance services to all members of the public, irrespective of their identity and background. We call on all people to cooperate with rescue personnel, so that patients can receive prompt and efficient ambulance service."