Tag Archives: China

     The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a fatal work accident that happened at a detached house in Sheung Shui yesterday’s afternoon (May 16), in which a male worker fell from a canopy while working thereon. He was certified dead later in hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathy to his family.

     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 work on the canopy of the detached house concerned. 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 relevant 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 workers from falling while working at height, the LD reminds contractors to take suitable safety measures, including installing guard-rails and toe-boards at the edges of workplaces, providing workers with suitable working platforms and, in exceptional circumstances, providing workers with fall arresting equipment, as well as ensuring the proper use of such equipment by the workers throughout the work.

     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 yesterday’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. read more

     Following are the remarks by the Secretary for Transport and Logistics, Ms Mable Chan, at a media session today (May 17):
 
Reporter: What’s the outcome of yesterday’s meeting with ride hailing services operators? What’s the next step being planned to address the concerns raised by taxi drivers who may consider to step up their action? And finally, any progress on the future legislative proposal to regulate ride hailing services? Thank you.
 
Secretary for Transport and Logistics: In enhancing the personalised point-to-point services, we have been taking three-pronged measures. First of all, we have been helping the taxi sector to improve their service quality by creating five taxi fleets. The feature of these fleets is basically to provide e-hailing services and they will also provide new electric cars to enhance their services. The second prong is that we are actively pursuing our internal review and survey on the passenger demand on the provision of e-hailing services and we are actively doing that. In this process, we have been arranging and lining up regular sessions with relevant stakeholders, including in particular the taxi trade representatives as well as existing e-hailing platform operators and those potential candidates who are interested to operate in Hong Kong. Yesterday’s meeting as well as the meeting by the Transport Department with the taxi trade were two of the series of meetings we have held in collecting their views and listening to their concerns. We will be meeting them on a regular basis in order to solicit and gather the updated views and suggestions so as to finalise our internal study and survey on the demand and requirements needed to regulate the e-hailing platform services in the future.
 
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the remarks) read more

     The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, will depart for a visit to Paris, France, tomorrow night (May 18), as part of the Housing．I&T initiative, with a view to strengthening co-operation and exchanges between Hong Kong and France in areas such as advancing innovative construction technologies, synergistic public housing developments, green buildings, smart public housing management and well-being design.
 
     During her visit to Paris, Ms Ho will visit local social housing projects, eco-districts, smart construction technology centres and sustainable urban developments. She will also meet with relevant government officials, industry representatives and several organisations to share Hong Kong’s experiences and efforts in enhancing the quantity, speed, efficiency and quality of public housing construction by embracing various innovative construction technologies and AI technologies, continuously enhancing public estate management, aiming to build a more pleasant living environment for residents.
 
     Ms Ho will return to Hong Kong on May 23 afternoon. During her absence, the Under Secretary for Housing, Mr Victor Tai, will be the Acting Secretary for Housing. read more

     The Director-General of Civil Aviation, Mr Victor Liu, commenced his five-day visit to Portugal and Germany on May 12, during that he attended the Civil Air Navigation Services Organisation (CANSO) annual Leadership Summit and Airspace World 2025 in Lisbon, Portugal.

     These two global events brought together leaders from the civil aviation industry worldwide. Mr Liu was invited to speak in an expert panel, where he shared his insights on driving sustainability in aviation. He highlighted the rapid growth of the Asia Pacific region in civil aviation and emphasised the importance of strengthening collaborations among states/administrations, air navigation services providers (ANSPs), and the industry; and making use of innovative technologies to achieve the environmental goals, sustainable development and efficient operations. Mr Liu also shared the Civil Aviation Department (CAD)’s experiences in implementing various environmental measures and the latest technologies, as well as fostering collaboration with various ANSPs and stakeholders. Another member of the CAD’s delegation also spoke in an expert panel on the theme of digital transformation in aviation.

     During the event, Mr Liu met with the Director General of CANSO, Mr Simon Hocquard, and discussed on various topics on mutual co-operation, including the “Airspace Asia Pacific 2025”, a large-scale international exhibition and conference event dedicated to air traffic development and management, which will be held in the Asia Pacific region for the first time. The event will take place in Hong Kong, as an international aviation hub, this December. Taking the opportunity, Mr Liu gave an interview with CANSO to further promote the event. In addition, Mr Liu met with the Director General of EUROCONTROL, Mr Raúl Medina, to exchange views on strengthening mutual co-operation on civil aviation fields and explore further co-operation opportunities.

     After that, Mr Liu continued his visit in Germany on May 15. During the stay, he visited the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in Cologne, Germany, where he met with the EASA’s Executive Director, Mr Florian Guillermet, to discuss the latest development in aviation and explore further collaboration between the two civil aviation authorities on regulations related to aviation safety and new initiatives, such as low-altitude economy and advanced air mobility. This visit underscores Hong Kong’s commitment to strengthening international partnerships and aligning with global aviation standards.

     Mr Liu then paid a technical visit to the Airbus facility in Hamburg, Germany on May 16, to learn about the latest advancements in aircraft manufacturing and maintenance technologies, and sustainable aviation development.

     Accompanying Mr Liu to Germany was the Assistant Director-General of Civil Aviation (Flight Standards), Mr Michael Yuen.

     Mr Liu will depart for Hong Kong today (May 17).

      

     The services provided by Mobile Library 3 have resumed after completion of urgent repairs to the mobile library van, a Leisure and Cultural Services Department spokesman announced today (May 17).        The ser… read more