Safety Management Measures

We incorporate a safety pledge in our business guide which requires a pledge from contractors to maintain the highest site safety standards, strive for continuous improvements and commit to promote a safety culture.

Contractors' safety management systems are the foundation towards ensuring work safety. For new works contracts, the site safety management systems and the effectiveness of their implementation are, therefore, audited quarterly under the Housing Authority Safety Audit System (HASAS). Implemented in 1996, HASAS continues to provide a professional and independent system to assess safety performance of contractors. To cater for the unique nature of maintenance and improvement activities, a tailor-made safety audit system to District Term Contracts will also be developed.

On top of the HASAS independent safety audits, Surprise Safety Inspection Programme (SSIP) was implemented in Housing Authority New Works Contracts in 2013. The SSIP aims to raise vigilance and further enhance safety management on site through surprise site visits by independent safety inspectors.  It focuses on high-risk activities and compliance checks on physical conditions on site based on objective checklist with a marking scheme.

To remove site safety considerations from the realm of competitive tendering, the Pay for Safety Scheme (PFSS) was first introduced to new works building contracts in 2000. It was subsequently enhanced in 2003 to form an integrated payment scheme applicable to all new works contracts—covering site safety, environmental management and site hygiene items (the integrated PSE&H Scheme).

The introduction of the PFSS has paved the way for a cultural change through the introduction of positive incentives—whereby contractors are paid only if they have satisfactorily performed their obligations. Failure to perform site safety obligations will result in no, or reduced payment.

To provide further incentives for contractors to fulfil their obligations, the following enhancements, with more performance-driven emphasis, have been incorporated into the PFSS under new works contracts:

• Extending the integrated PSE&H Scheme to Building Services Nominated Sub-contracts (BS NSC).
• Incorporating the Silver Card—accreditation scheme for workers of specific trades engaged in high-risk operations who have satisfactorily completed an advanced safety training course. Payment made corresponds to compliance level attained.
• Incorporating safety audit performance and surprise safety inspection performance according to score banding, into the payment—indicating the level of satisfactory performance achieved.
• Incorporating safety performance – fatal accidents will result in reduced payment under PFSS.
• Introducing rewards for innovative and functional safety installations/measures.
• Allowing subsidies for contractors engaging in major safety campaigns.

In respect of maintenance works, PFSS was first introduced to cover building works maintenance contracts in 2003 and its scope was enhanced in 2007 to additionally cover building services works maintenance contracts.

Adopting the Safe Working Cycle allows integration of safety practices with daily routine works. This etho spans all levels of site personnel and assists in the implementation of effective safety management systems.

The restriction of subletting for high-risk operations is aimed at eliminating non-value added subletting, while still maintaining business vitality within the industry.

Due to the small scale and short duration of RMAA works in general, they are exempted from the notification requirement under CSSR. However, this may leave a gap for other RMAA works which involve hazardous operations, leading to difficulties in enforcement by the Labour Department.

For hazardous RMAA works of the public housing estates, a voluntary mechanism of direct-notification to the Labour Department was established in 2008. The mechanism helps to curb unsafe practice and fosters compliance with safety provisions by giving early advice or warnings to contractors and workers through inspections and/or enforcement actions. Under the mechanism, five specific categories of RMAA works involving special hazards, and two special circumstances were included in the voluntary/direct notification mechanism:

RMAA works for direct notification to Labour Department

• Works involving truss-out scaffolding
• Works in confined space (underground drainage/sewage works)
• Lifting & rigging (where lifting materials to roofs)
• Demolition of walls taller than 2 metres (including both structural and non-structural partitions)
• Excavation of trenches deeper than 1.2 metres

Special circumstances for direct notification to Labour Department

• Imminent hazards
• Repeated violation of safety rules/regulations