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The Labour Department today (Saturday) launched a first territory-wide Safety Award Scheme on Good Housekeeping for the Catering Industry to promote safety awareness of good housekeeping in the catering industry and to recognise good safety practice.

Speaking at the press conference announcing the launching of the Scheme, the Deputy Commissioner for Labour (Occupational Safety and Health), Mr Lee Kai-fat, said the Scheme aims to help abate the majority of work accidents that are due to inadequate workplace management in the industry.

"Catering trade is one of the main contributors of workplace accidents. In 1998, we recorded 13,011 industrial accidents in the industry which accounted for 30.2% of all reported industrial accidents. A closer look at these work accidents reveals that about 35% are likely to be due to poor housekeeping," he said.

The major types of accidents in the catering industry are slip, trip or fall, striking against or stepping on object, fall of person from height.

"While most of the work accidents in the catering trade are comparatively minor in nature, the sheer number of their occurrence is still our concern.

"We believe that most of these accidents could have been avoided if more attention had been paid to housekeeping in the workplace," Mr Lee said.

The competition for Safety Award on Good Housekeeping will be open to all catering establishments in Hong Kong. Entries will be divided into six categories, namely Restaurants (Chinese), Restaurants (non-Chinese), Fast Food Shops, Hotels with Kitchen, Cafe and Tea-houses and Canteens.

All entries must have a segregated kitchen in the catering establishment and must be holding a valid full licence issued by the Provisional Urban Council/Provisional Regional Council. They should be located in Hong Kong and have not received any Suspension Notice served by the Labour Department in the past 12 months counting from the deadline of submission.

"We now invite all the eligible catering establishments to enter the competition," Mr Lee said.

Adjudication will be held in August and September. The assessment criteria will cover aspects of good housekeeping such as overall layout of the kitchen; stacking and storage of materials, equipment and apparatus; handling of knives and chemicals, etc.

Application brochures are now obtainable from the branch offices of the Occupational Safety and Health Branch, Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council. The closing date for entries is July 21, 1999.

The Safety Award Scheme will be reinforced by an Announcement in Public Interest on television starring Mr Martin Yan of Yan Can Cook fame. Publicity materials will be distributed to employers and employees in catering industry.

The Scheme is jointly organised by the Labour Department and the Occupational Safety and Health Council. It is co-organised by the Hong Kong Restaurant and Eating-house Merchants General Association, Eating Establishment Employees General Union, Hong Kong Hotels Association, Association of Restaurant Managers, and Food and Beverage Management and Professional Staff Association.

The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited, McDonald's Restaurants (Hong Kong) Limited, Maxim's Caterers Ltd. and Hong Kong Catering Management Limited also sponsored the scheme.

End/Saturday, July 10, 1999

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