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Following is the question by the Hon WONG Kwok-hing and a written reply by the Secretary for Economic Development and Labour, Mr Stephen Ip, in the Legislative Council today (December 7):
Question:
Under the existing legislation, certain types of machines (such as bulldozers and loaders) used on construction sites may be operated only by persons who have attended a relevant recognised training course and have been awarded a valid certificate by the course provider. I have received a number of complaints that the relevant courses and tests for construction workers are only conducted in the daytime, which affects their livelihood. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the current number of holders of the qualifying certificates, together with the names of the recognized course providers, for each type of machines;
(b) of the respective numbers of qualifying certificates for each type of machines which will expire in the current year and each of the next two years;
(c) of the criteria adopted for accrediting the course providers; and
(d) whether it will review the current certification system, including shortening the duration of the courses, increasing the number of course providers and reducing the course fees?
Reply:
Madam President:
(a) Under the Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Loadshifting Machinery) Regulation, certain types of machines used on construction sites, including bulldozers, loaders and excavators, are required to be operated by persons holding valid certificates issued by training organisations recognised by the Commissioner for Labour. As at the end of September 2005, the numbers of certificate-holders of these machines were as follows -
Machine type No. of certificate-holders
Bulldozers 873
Loaders 3,202
Excavators 6,338
Total 10,413
The following organisations have been recognised by the Commissioner for Labour for running training courses on the operation of the relevant machines -
Organisation (Types of machines covered by the courses)
Construction Industry Training Authority
(Bulldozers, Loaders and Excavators)
Construction Machinery Technical Training Centre
(Loaders and Excavators)
Green Island Cement (Holdings) Limited
(Loaders)
Origin Production Limited
(Loaders)
(b) The numbers of certificates for the various types of machines due to expire in 2005, 2006 and 2007 are shown below :
2005 2006 2007
Bulldozers 54 297 202
Loaders 60 774 708
Excavators 131 3 437 1 151
Total 245 4 508 2 061
(c) The criteria adopted by the Labour Department for recognising training organisations are stipulated in a set of Guidance Notes issued by the Department. These criteria cover the qualifications of trainers, course structure, course content, training facilities and course administration arrangements.
(d) The system is kept under regular review. The duration of courses depends on a number of factors, including the experience of trainees, the complexity of the operation of the machines, their hazards, and the nature of the courses concerned. According to the Guidance Notes issued by the Labour Department, the duration of courses ranges from one day (in the case of revalidation courses in general) to fifty days (in the case of the full courses for excavators). Courses must at least have the duration as stipulated in the Guidance Notes in order to cover all the essential elements to ensure that trainees are adequately trained and competent to operate such high-risk machines safely.
As for the need to increase the number of training organisations, it should be noted that the existing training capacity available for full courses can fully meet demand. As regards revalidation courses, the Construction Industry Training Authority (CITA) is currently running its revalidation courses which can adequately satisfy demand. The CITA has been encouraged to conduct classes during holidays or outside normal working hours to facilitate attendance by machine operators. We will continue to monitor the situation to ensure that sufficient training courses are available to meet training demand.
Course fees are determined by the training organisations themselves. We will encourage them to consider reducing their course fees, where possible, to alleviate the financial burden of trainees.
Ends/Wednesday, December 7, 2005
Issued at HKT 12:13
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