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Construction contractors, proprietors of container handling yards, responsible persons of property management companies and proprietors of establishments with outdoor work should watch out for weather conditions and adopt contingency measures to ensure the occupational safety and health of their workers.
"When the weather is clear, contractors and proprietors should check the working conditions thoroughly and carry out the necessary repairs or rectifications to ensure that conditions are safe before work resumes," the spokesman for Labour Department said.
The possible hazards encountered on construction sites and container handling yards after bad weather include:
* Flooding in excavations;
* Damaged scaffolding or working platforms on scaffolding;
* Caving in of the sides of excavations and damage to the shoring;
* Unstable slopes;
* Loosening of anchoring arrangement of lifting appliances;
* Leakage of electric current from electrical installations; and
* Collapse of unstable containers.
To provide practical guidelines on work arrangements in times of bad weather, the Labour Department has published a leaflet, "Guide on Safety at Work in times of Inclement Weather". This publication can be obtained free from divisional offices of the department or downloaded from the department's website at www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/content2_8d.htm.¡@
For enquiries on occupational safety, please call the Safety and Health Advisory Telephone Enquiry Service on 2559 2297.
Ends/Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Issued at HKT 15:31
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