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From an operations point of view, 2011 was another fruitful year marked by a number of breakthroughs. |
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From an operations point of view, 2011 was another fruitful year marked
by a number of breakthroughs. |
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Bringing Laws to Life |
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After going through the necessary legislative process, the Lifts and
Escalators Ordinance (LEO) will open a new chapter for Hong Kong’s lift and escalator safety regulatory work. Preparations for the implementation of the Buildings Energy Efficiency Ordinance (BEEO) also continued at pace throughout 2011, with two updated Codes of Practice. The Codes provide technical requirements to facilitate the trade to comply with the BEEO.
While the LEO and BEEO govern different areas and have different
regulatory objectives, both aim to contribute to community wellbeing. We
will ensure they achieve this aim by effectively enforcing the two ordinances
when they become fully operational later this year. |
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Continuous Improvement and Transparency |
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We are also glad to see the Regulatory Services team successfully focusing
on continuous improvement. Introducing the LEO, and thus revamping
the entire regulatory framework of lift and escalator safety, was a key
improvement initiative of the past few years. Another achievement was
the launch of the Escalator Contractor Performance Rating System in
September 2011. Modelled on a similar system for lift contractors, the
Escalator Contractor Performance Rating System enhances transparency by
enabling facility owners and the public to monitor contractor performance
more effectively and make informed choices more readily.
In terms of transparency, it is now our Divisions’ established practice to
regularly post data on the EMSD website. The data we typically share
includes auto LPG quality test results and dedicated filling station auto
LPG ceiling price movements, fresh-water cooling tower water sample test
results, energy label compliance monitoring test results, lift and escalator
contractor performance ratings, as well as full investigation reports for
public access. To assist the public in interpreting this information, it is often
accompanied by a press release or press briefing, as necessary.
We held a symbolic re-launch of our work in August 2011. This involved
a media gathering at which we shared our priorities and future direction
with editors and journalists from key daily newspapers and TV and radio
programmes. This was another breakthrough for our team, which in the
past would prefer to toil behind the scenes instead of coming forward
to explain our work and perspective to the media. We have come to
appreciate the importance of a high level of transparency, as well as the
value of maintaining a pro-active, ongoing dialogue with the media rather
than relying on incident-driven communications. |
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Crisis Management and “Global Village” |
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Crisis management has presented us with a steep learning curve in recent
years, but we are now more adept in preventing and managing crises.
Many Divisions have held drills and simulations on the basis of our Crisis
Prevention, Response and Management Plan, not only to hone their crisis
handling skills but also to identify loopholes in the Plan for improvement.
Now that we all live in a “global village”, crisis management has taken on
a new dimension and is no longer confined by geographic borders. We
have all seen examples of natural and man-made disasters that quickly
affect entire regions, causing widespread concern. The challenge for us as
a regulator is to ensure that our system is sufficiently sound to maintain
a high level of safety, and also that we have the capability to reassure the
public in Hong Kong that this is the case.
By the same token, Hong Kong continues to attract new forms of
entertainment and events from overseas, some of which fall within our
regulatory ambit. From time to time, these challenge our technological
expertise and test how we uphold our enforcement principles based on
in-depth understanding of the E&M safety ordinances and their regulatory
objectives. It follows that we must continue to focus on training and
capacity building and on establishing a culture of learning and critical
thinking, so that our people can make sound judgments when charting
new territory. |
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Making Existing Infrastructure More Reliable |
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It is noted that there is the need for Hong Kong to step up maintenance
and replacement work for our aging infrastructure in the coming decade.
This will be a major challenge, even just for buildings alone. Hong Kong
has more than 40,000 buildings, with some 600 added every year, so
renovation and maintenance are essential to ensuring public safety and a
more energy efficient community.
The new LEO and BEEO mandate more stringent requirements for lift and
escalator safety and buildings energy efficiency respectively. Statutory
powers aside, we may also resort to market incentives and administrative
measures to motivate asset owners and other stakeholders to improve the
quality and safety of infrastructure. Our Lifts Modernisation Programme,
for example, which aims to encourage owners to implement modernisation
solutions in older lifts such as installing a double brake system, is one of the
approaches to making aging assets more safe, reliable and comfortable. As
demand for improvement jobs increases, market forces will lead contractors
to solicit more work from lift owners and property management companies,
reinforcing a culture of improvement and modernisation. |
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While the LEO and BEEO govern different areas and have different regulatory objectives, both aim to contribute to community wellbeing. |
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In terms of improving electrical safety, we have begun implementing
continuing professional development requirements as a condition
for renewal of electrical worker registrations. The decision to adopt
such conditions from January 2012 was made in 2011 after thorough
consultation with the electrical trade. It represents a significant step for the
industry and pioneers the idea that all frontline workers in a trade can be
required to undertake continuing professional learning. |
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Learning and Development |
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Similarly, we expect our own people to pursue continuous training and
development. In particular, we are planning to revive certain programmes
that put our young engineers in overseas attachment training so that they
may gain in-depth understanding of how major systems and facilities, such
as those used by our railways, electricity and gas plants, are designed and
manufactured. The insight gained is vital to good regulatory work.
For the immersion experience to be worthwhile, these programmes would
typically last six to 12 months. We believe the knowledge and experience
thus gained will bring long-term benefits to our people and our work, far
outweighing the initial investment. We have also tasked our training unit
with identifying opportunities for our engineers to interact with experts
from different fields in order to broaden their horizons as part of our
knowledge management enhancement initiative. |
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Appreciation and Thanks |
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I join our Director in expressing our gratitude to the trades and other
stakeholders for their support in a year of smooth operations. I also thank
all our colleagues for their dedication and outstanding service, and those
who went the extra mile to win awards and recognition for our regulatory
achievements. I am delighted to see a high level of engagement among
staff throughout our organisation and have no doubt this will translate into
positive results in the coming year. |
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Alfred W H Sit
Deputy Director / Regulatory Services |
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