Rural By-election to be held on Sunday
The Home Affairs Department (HAD) appeals to registered electors of the Ko Tong Indigenous Inhabitant Representative Election, and of the Nam Wai, Fung Yuen, Kau Lung Hang and Tseng Tau Tsuen (Upper) Resident Representative Elections to exercise their right to vote in the Rural By-election to be held this Sunday (December 1).
Fifty-eight Rural Representative vacancies are open in the by-election, and 38 valid nominations were received during the nomination period. There are two candidates running for an Indigenous Inhabitant Representative post of Ko Tong of the Sai Kung North Rural Committee; and two candidates each running for the respective Resident Representative posts of Nam Wai of the Sai Kung Rural Committee, Fung Yuen and Kau Lung Hang of the Tai Po Rural Committee and Tseng Tau Tsuen (Upper) of the Tuen Mun Rural Committee. Polling will be held for these five vacancies.
The other 28 candidates were returned uncontested to be the Indigenous Inhabitant Representatives of Pui O Lo Wai, Mang Kung Uk, Pan Long Wan, Mau Ping New Village, Kei Ling Ha San Wai, Lai Chi Chong, Pak Tam Au, Tung Sam Kei, Uk Tau, Cheung Uk Tei, Tong Sheung Tsuen, Sam Tung Uk and Sham Tseng; the Resident Representatives of Pui O Lo Wai, Sha Lo Wan, Nam Chung, San Tsuen, Shek Chung Au, Kam Tsin, Nga Yiu Ha, Pak Kong Au, Lin Au Cheng Uk, Ma Wo Tsuen, San Tsuen (Lam Tsuen), Tin Liu Ha, Sai Lau Kok and Sheung Kwai Chung; and the Kaifong Representative of Cheung Chau Market Town.
No valid nomination was received for the Indigenous Inhabitant Representative vacancies of Po Toi, Sok Kwu Wan, Wu Shek Kok, Long Ke, Pak Tam Chung, Wong Keng Tsai, To Yuen Tung and Yin Ngam, and the Resident Representative vacancies of Po Toi, Ngau Kwu Long, Luk Keng Wong Uk, Wu Shek Kok, Hoi Pong Street, Lung Mei, Ma Nam Wat, Pak Tam Chung, Ping Tun, Sai Wan, Mui Tsz Lam, Ha Yeung, Pak Sha O, Ping Chau Sha Tau, Uk Tau, Kam Shan Village and Ham Tin.
Polling will be held from noon to 7pm on December 1. Electors are required to bring along the original of their identity document or other specific alternative documents to the designated polling station as specified in the polling notice.
For further information, please visit the Rural Representative Election (RRE) website (www.had.gov.hk/rre) or call the RRE hotline at 2152 1521.
Revised Code of Practice for Safety and Health at Work in Confined Spaces to take effect tomorrow
The revised Code of Practice for Safety and Health at Work in Confined Spaces (CoP) will officially take effect tomorrow (November 30). The CoP was gazetted on May 31 this year, and a grace period of six months was provided to allow sufficient time for the industry to understand and prepare for the revised requirements.
During the grace period, the Labour Department (LD) has strengthened its publicity and promotions, as well as education and training, through various channels such as the LD's website, the "OSH 2.0" mobile application, and a series of talks and seminars organised with relevant organisations to facilitate the industry's better understanding of the CoP's content.
The major revisions of the CoP include the enhancement of requirements for proprietors' or contractors' supervision on confined space work; highlighting the factors for assessing whether a particular job constitutes underground pipework; adding a detailed template on the risk assessment form and listing out the setting of an air-monitoring alarm; and an update on the Permit-to-work Certificate template. New requirements have also been added to the revised CoP, such as requiring proprietors or contractors to adopt technology to record videos at the entrance and exit of the confined space throughout the entire work period to enhance monitoring relevant personnel's compliance with the safety precautions.
Meanwhile, the LD has refined the mandatory safety training courses for confined space operations to enhance the industry's understanding of common risks and its ability to mitigate these risks, which includes updating the course content, extending the course duration and shortening the validity period of the relevant safety certificates so that industry personnel will refresh their safety knowledge more frequently and stay updated on new legislative developments. The revised courses will be launched tomorrow.
A spokesman for the LD said, "After the commencement of the revised CoP, the LD will continue to conduct surprise inspections at workplaces with confined spaces from time to time to review the relevant work processes and safety precautions implemented to ensure the safety and health of workers."
The spokesman added, "The CoP has a special legal status. In criminal proceedings, if a relevant person fails to observe any provisions of this CoP, that failure may be taken by the court as a relevant factor in determining whether or not a person has breached the relevant occupational safety and health legislation."
For more information on working in confined spaces, or to download the revised CoP, please visit the LD's new thematic website (www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/osh_confinedspace.htm). Enquiries about the CoP can be made at 2559 2297.
