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The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Housing Authority:
The Quality Public Housing Construction and Maintenance Awards co-organised by the Housing Authority (HA) and industry associations celebrates its 10th anniversary this year. By commending the outstanding performance of contractors, supervisors, project teams and front-line workers, the Awards aims at encouraging continuous improvements in quality and innovation in the new works and maintenance sectors.
At the Awards Presentation Ceremony held today (December 1), the Secretary for Transport and Housing, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, together with the representatives of co-organisers officiated at the kick-off ceremony to unveil the motto of the event, "Enhancing Quality and Professionalism in Construction and Maintenance".
Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United States, once said, "Without continual growth and progress, such words as improvement, achievement, and success have no meaning." The Permanent Secretary for Transport and Housing (Housing)/Director of Housing, Mr D W Pescod, quoted Franklin's words in calling for the joint efforts of industry practitioners for new breakthroughs at the awards presentation ceremony.
He noted that as the largest public housing organisation in Hong Kong, the HA has been playing a leading role in advancing the standards of building and maintenance works and innovation for the benefit of all in the industry. The HA has also adopted new construction methods to enhance efficiency and protect the environment. One example is the use of ground granulated blast-furnace slag as part of the construction material for exterior walls to reduce carbon emissions by reducing the use of cement. The prefabricated steel lift tower and machine-room-less lift construction methods, which have been developed to shorten construction periods and reduce nuisance to nearby residents, are other examples of the HA's initiatives. The joint efforts with industry practitioners have also significantly reduced construction lead time to world-class standards, which indeed helps to speed up housing allocation for those in need.
Mr Pescod called for the joint effort of the industry with the HA to continue the pursuit of excellence and the emphasis on occupational safety and health. He stressed the "ZERO incident" workplace goal, and that the message of "Safety first" must be communicated to staff at all levels. When congratulating the award-winning teams and individuals for their best practices, he appealed to these role models to help motivate the industry to excel by providing quality services in the next 10 years.
The Quality Public Housing Construction and Maintenance Awards are classified into two broad categories: New Works Projects and Maintenance and Improvement Projects. The judging panel consists of representatives from the HA and co-organisers. Winning individuals or teams were assessed by their performance in terms of work quality, workmanship, environmental protection, occupational safety and health, ethical integrity, partnership and customer service.
This year's awardees included 74 contractors and sub-contractors, five outstanding projects, 11 best site safety projects, four outstanding project teams, 10 outstanding contractor's supervisors, 12 outstanding foremen, 24 outstanding workers, three outstanding ambassadors and three outstanding building maintenance workers.
The co-organising partners this year were the Hong Kong Construction Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Electrical and Mechanical Contractors, the Hong Kong Construction Sub-Contractors Association, the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, the Construction Site Workers General Union, the Hong Kong and Kowloon Electrical Engineering and Appliances Trade Workers Union, the Hong Kong General Union of Lift and Escalator Employees, the Labour Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Council, the Construction Industry Council and the Vocational Training Council.
Industry practitioners and the public are welcome to browse the success stories of the award-winning companies on the HA/Housing Department website (www.housingauthority.gov.hk) later.
Ends/Saturday, December 1, 2012
Issued at HKT 19:24
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