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Local catering establishments are invited to participate in the Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme jointly organised by the Labour Department, the Occupational Safety and Health Council and nine co-organisers. Entries will be accepted from today (July 9) to July 26.
Launched in 1999, the scheme aims to reinforce occupational safety and health awareness of employers, employees and stakeholders in the industry as well as the general public. It also aims to inculcate a good occupational safety and health culture in the catering industry, and to award catering establishments, supervisors and workers with good performance in occupational safety and health.
All catering establishments in Hong Kong are welcome to compete for the awards provided that they hold a valid licence issued by the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) before August 14, 2013, and throughout the competition period, and that their licences have not been suspended by the FEHD for whatever reason in the past 12 months before August 14, 2013, and until the announcement of the competition results. Also, they should not have recorded any serious or fatal industrial accidents or received any Suspension Notices issued by the Labour Department in the past 12 months preceding the enrolment deadline.
Entries for the Catering Establishment category will be divided into seven sub-categories: Chinese restaurants, restaurants (non-Chinese), hotels with kitchen, fast food shops serving Western food, fast food shops serving both Chinese and general categories of food, cafes, and light refreshment eating places and canteens.
There will be a Group Safety Performance Award under the scheme. Groups that take part in the preliminary assessment of the competition with more than one eligible outlet in the same sub-category of the Catering Establishment category will be automatically enrolled in the Group Safety Performance Award.
To commend single-outlet catering establishments not operated by a group that have entered the competition, a Safety Awareness Award will be presented to such establishments that have undergone the preliminary assessment and that do not win any other awards in the competition.
Each sub-category of the Catering Establishment category and the Group Safety Performance Award will have gold, silver, bronze and meritorious prizes. Winners of the Safety Awareness Award, the Supervisor Award and the Safe Worker Award will also be awarded.
Preliminary assessment will take place in early August, and final assessment will be conducted from late August to early September. Assessment criteria will cover various aspects concerning the physical conditions of the workplace and safety management systems.
To enhance public awareness of occupational safety and health with the aim of reducing the number of industrial accidents in the catering industry, the scheme will also feature a number of publicity functions including a safety quiz competition for both the public and stakeholders in the industry. Members of the public over the age of 15 are welcome to join the competition and entries will be accepted from today to August 8.
The Catering Industry Safety Award Scheme is organised by the Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council and co-organised and sponsored by the Occupational Deafness Compensation Board. Other co-organisers are the Hong Kong Catering Industry Association, the Hong Kong Hotels Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Restaurants and Related Trades, the Association of Restaurant Managers, the Association for Hong Kong Catering Services Management, the Food and Beverage Management and Professional Staff Association, the Eating Establishment Employees General Union and the Institution of Dining Art.
Enrolment forms and details of the entry requirements of the scheme and the safety quiz competition can be obtained from offices of the Occupational Safety and Health Branch of the Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council on 19/F, China United Centre, 28 Marble Road, North Point, Hong Kong, or downloaded from the department's website at www.labour.gov.hk. Enquiries can be made on 2852 3567/2852 3565.
Ends/Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Issued at HKT 11:09
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