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Workplace safety urged after Chinese New Year holidays
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     The Labour Department has urged contractors, employers and employees of construction sites, factories and industrial undertakings to be more vigilant, check their workplaces and take adequate safety precautions before resuming work after the Chinese New Year holidays.

     A spokesman for the department said today (January 30) that management and workers should pay more attention to work safety as workplace conditions might have changed and their safety alertness might have diminished after long holidays.

     "Advance checking, preparation and implementation of necessary safety measures are particularly important for potentially hazardous work processes, machinery and equipment," he said.

     "All scaffolding, working platforms, lifting appliances, temporary power supplies, gas welding and flame cutting operations, chemical processes, confined spaces, sewage work and excavations should be inspected by competent people to ensure that they are in safe condition before resuming operation or putting them into use again.

     "Workers should also be fully advised and instructed to follow safety precautions when working at height, engaging in lifting operations and in other hazardous work situations," he said.

     To prevent work accidents, the spokesman urged contractors and employers to step up monitoring of their workplaces to make sure that they are safe places of work after holidays.

     He said that the general duty provisions of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance require contractors and employers to provide a safe working environment, a safe plant and a safe system of work for their employees. Failing to comply with this requirement could mean a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for six months. Employees should co-operate by following the safety instructions and by using safety equipment.

     For enquiries on occupational safety and health, please contact the department's occupational safety officers at 2559 2297.

Ends/Monday, January 30, 2012
Issued at HKT 12:01

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