A fishing boat plies in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour with residential and commercial buildings in the Western District in the background on Feb 13, 2024. (SHAMIM ASHRAF / CHINA DAILY) 

Hong Kong’s Labour Department has urged contractors, employers, and employees to be more vigilant, check their workplaces, and take adequate safety precautions before resuming work after the Chinese Lunar New Year holidays.

Both management and employees should pay more attention to work safety as their safety alertness might have diminished and workplace conditions might have changed after long holidays, a spokesperson for the department said in a statement on Friday.

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“If the work involves processes, machinery or equipment with potential hazards, it is vital to check, prepare and implement necessary safety measures in advance before the commencement of work.”

Employees should also be fully advised and instructed to follow safety precautions when working at height or engaging in lifting operation, tunneling works, electrical work and other hazardous work.

Spokesperson, Labour Department, HKSAR

Competent persons should inspect all scaffolding, working platforms, lifting appliances, temporary power supplies, gas welding and flame cutting operations, chemical processes, confined spaces, sewage works, and excavations, said the spokesperson.

"Employees should also be fully advised and instructed to follow safety precautions when working at height or engaging in lifting operation, tunneling works, electrical work, and other hazardous work," added the spokesperson.

To prevent work accidents, the spokesperson urged contractors and employers to step up monitoring to ensure workplace safety after the holidays.

Reminding employers of their responsibility to provide safe working environments, plant and systems of work for their employees, the department cautioned them about the legal consequences of not complying with the provisions under the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, including fines and imprisonment.

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It also urged the employees to cooperate by following safety instructions and by using safety equipment.