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 1) 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.

The following is issued on behalf of the Hospital Authority:

     The spokesman for Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH) made the following announcement today (May 31) regarding a hospital facility safety incident:

     At around 5.30pm today, after the heavy rain and thunderstorms, security guard received a report that the windscreen of a staff member's private vehicle was found broken in the hospital carpark. After inspection, it was found that the incident might be caused by the damaged concrete from the external wall of Block C at AHNH during the heavy rain and thunderstorms. No patients or staff were injured in the incident and patient service was not affected.

     The incident did not involve structural safety of the building. The hospital has cordoned off the parking area concerned and arranged emergency repairs. According to the record, the external wall concerned had no abnormality in the last checking of facilities conducted by the hospital in April. The hospital is very concerned about the incident and has arranged maintenance staff to conduct inspection for facilities. The hospital is investigating the cause of the damaged concrete.

     The hospital has reported the incident to the Hospital Authority Head Office via the Advance Incident Reporting System.

     â€‹The Secretary for Housing, Ms Winnie Ho, called on the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council (HKMAO) in Beijing today (May 31). She also visited various construction projects.

     Ms Ho paid a courtesy call on the Director of the HKMAO, Mr Xia Baolong, in the morning, and reported on the latest work and initiatives of housing in Hong Kong, including the implementation of public rental housing, subsidised housing and Light Public Housing. Mr Xia has a deep understanding of the situation in Hong Kong. He brought encouragement to the current-term Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government as it attaches great importance to the housing needs of Hong Kong people and has implemented numerous effective policy measures to address housing problems. He hoped the HKSAR Government will continue to strive to improve the living environment of people. Ms Ho stated that housing is of the greatest concern of the HKSAR Government. The Housing Bureau will continue to enhance its speed, quantity, efficiency and quality in increasing the public housing supply to improve the livelihood of people and build a housing ladder, so as to accomplish "actively responding to people's aspirations".

     On the same day, Ms Ho visited the construction project for the permanent venue of the Zhongguancun (ZGC) Forum to learn about the adoption of Building Information Modelling, robotic technology and smart construction sites. The ZGC Forum provided a national-level platform facilitating global exchanges and co-operation in technology and innovation. She later toured the Yizhuang Blue Collar Apartment Project to learn about the use of the Modular Integrated Construction method in building high-rise buildings expeditiously, which increases the quality of work and shortens the construction time. 

     Moreover, Ms Ho met with the Minister of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, Mr Ni Hong, yesterday (May 30) to introduce Hong Kong's Long Term Housing Strategy. They also exchanged views on various issues including the housing system, green buildings, and design and planning. 

     Ms Ho will continue her visit in Beijing tomorrow (June 1). 

              

     The Civil Service College today (May 31) held a thematic briefing session on "International Landscape and China's Foreign Relations in 2023" jointly with the Office of the Commissioner of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (OCMFA) in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). The briefing was delivered by the OCMFA's Commissioner, Mr Liu Guangyuan. It was attended by the Chief Executive, Mr John Lee, and around 450 senior officials, including Secretaries of Departments, Directors of Bureaux and other politically appointed officials, as well as Permanent Secretaries, Heads of Departments, and other senior directorate officers of the HKSAR Government. This session also heralds the series of talks on the country's foreign affairs to be run this year.

     Mr Lee delivered the opening remarks at the session. He expressed gratitude to Mr Liu's attendance at the session and his sharing on the international landscape and national foreign strategies, which enabled the HKSAR Government to have a better grasp and understanding of the country's foreign affairs, and to further complement the national policies and contribute to the country.

     Mr Lee pointed out that in the face of the complex international political and economic environment, interference by certain external forces in the affairs of the country and Hong Kong, as well as various unjustified smears and suppressions, the HKSAR has an even more essential role in safeguarding national security, sovereignty and development interests, and steadfastly defending the successful implementation of the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong. While safeguarding national security, Hong Kong, being a special administrative region of the country, has to leverage its distinctive advantages of enjoying strong support of the motherland and being closely connected to the world under "one country, two systems", fully grasp the evolving international landscapes and act in concert with the country's foreign affairs policy to tell the good stories of China and Hong Kong.

     The Secretary for the Civil Service, Mrs Ingrid Yeung, said during the session that the civil service is an integral part of the HKSAR governance system and civil servants should have an accurate understanding of the current national development strategies, fully and faithfully implement the "one country, two systems" principle, and support the HKSAR Government's full implementation of "patriots administering Hong Kong". Civil servants, in their respective positions, should formulate more policies that are people oriented and in support of national development, strengthen Hong Kong's connection with the rest of the world, and enable Hong Kong to play its due and greater role in the overall development of the country. 

     Civil service training is an important part of the HKSAR Government's efforts on all fronts to strengthen national education, to promote a comprehensive understanding of the history, development and culture of the country and to enhance national awareness and nurture patriotism. Since the end of 2021, with the support and assistance from the OCMFA, the Civil Service College has organised 12 talks on different topics under the series on the country's foreign affairs. The talks were delivered by relevant officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and they were well received by colleagues. The College will continue to run a series of talks on the country's foreign affairs in 2023, which begins with today's thematic briefing session, followed by quarterly talks on topics such as the Belt and Road Initiative, the latest development of China-United States relations, etc.