While the epidemic of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) has gradually shown signs of easing in Hong Kong, it continues to spread in other parts of the world, leaving no room for complacency in the epidemic prevention efforts as public services of the HKSAR Government resume. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has provided timely and effective support in response to the different needs of government departments, and proactively recommended application of innovation and technology (I&T) solutions, enabling the departments to respond swiftly and continue to serve the community in a safe setting.
In the wake of the epidemic, the Government must gear up to set up fever screening systems at government facilities in the shortest possible time to establish a line of defence against the epidemic for those government departments that were still operating as usual. Take Immigration Tower in Wan Chai as an example. To measure the temperature of its large number of employees and visitors every weekday, the EMSD installed 32 sets of the fever screening system at different locations of the Tower in March 2020. The system is capable of detecting skin surface temperature of people within a specific area. An alert will be sent out if the detected temperature goes above the preset threshold. So far, the EMSD has installed more than 250 sets of the system for various government departments and public organisations.
The E&M InnoPortal played an active role in making rapid deployments possible at the time of the COVID-19 outbreak. The Smart Fever Screening System, which has been installed at a number of locations in the Central Government Offices since February 2020, is actually a solution conceived to match a request made on the E&M InnoPortal in 2018. This unique system incorporates artificial intelligence and thermal imaging technology to detect and track individuals with fever.
In addition, in response to the needs of different clients, the EMSD has provided comprehensive environmental safety solutions. At the end of April 2020, the EMSD arranged spraying of a disinfection coating of atomised photocatalytic nanoparticles for Immigration Tower in Wan Chai, using titanium dioxide particles to decompose germs and pollutants like formaldehyde by photocatalysis.
The risk of cross infection inside lifts has also been of concern. In March 2020, the EMSD introduced contactless operation for lifts at the Tsuen Wan Government Offices and EMSD Headquarters Building. Users may download the QR code of a particular floor or take an image of that QR code in the lobby with a mobile device for future use. When using the lift, users can scan the QR code with the QR code scanner installed on the lift control panel to select the floor, achieving contactless operation.
Moreover, the EMSD has installed ultraviolet disinfection devices for the escalators at the Civil Aviation Department (CAD) Headquarters. Powered by the movement of the handrail belts, the disinfection devices ensure that the ultraviolet disinfection function can be maintained during the operation of the escalators.
For facilities with a higher risk of cross infection, the EMSD has provided solutions accordingly. The laundry workshop at Pik Uk Prison of the Correctional Services Department (CSD) is responsible for washing clothing and bed sheets used by public hospital patients. The EMSD arranged for the client a trial use of the Intelligent Epidemic Prevention Channel developed by the Guangdong Provincial Academy of Building Research to carry out dust removal and full-body disinfection for users entering and leaving the workshop.
Generated by multiple pressurised air nozzles inside the Channel, the accurately adjusted internal airflow circulation blows bacteria and dust particles off the users entering the Channel. Airflow velocity and direction are meticulously controlled inside the Channel to ensure that the air discharged through the Channel is disinfected and filtered. Another set of the Channel is being piloted at the EMSD Headquarters Building.
The supply of surgical masks was once tight in Hong Kong during the epidemic. Therefore, the CSD introduced a number of mask production machines early this year, with the assembly, testing and commissioning carried out by the EMSD. Of the new machines, five sets involving four different models are not the ones currently used by the CSD, and local technical support by original manufacturers are not available. To overcome the technical obstacles, the dedicated team of the EMSD made the best use of relevant engineering knowledge, and sought support via video instructions from manufacturers in the Mainland. Besides, due to the large variety of models, lack of technical manuals provided by original manufacturers, and the fact that the machine parts are vulnerable to wear and tear because of long operation hours, the EMSD needed to conduct testing and commissioning repeatedly to strike a balance between high productivity and reliability. Now the new production lines have already been put into operation successively, stepping up efforts to support the city’s fight against the epidemic.
After the occurrence of a suspected infection case at the CAD Headquarters in March 2020, the EMSD took the initiative to disinfect the relevant air-conditioning units and tried its utmost to support the client. Besides, the EMSD recommended the client to adopt a broad range of anti-epidemic solutions, including contactless door switches, portable ultraviolet air steriliser with medical-grade filtration efficiency, steam disinfection wardrobes, etc. The EMSD was highly recognised for the comprehensive and proactive support provided to the client as appreciation letters were received from the client in March and April 2020.
With resumption of public services by various government departments, it is of vital importance to ensure proper social distancing among users in indoor venues. In this connection, the EMSD has installed occupancy sensor control systems for venues of the Immigration Department. The EMSD sets the maximum number of visitors for each venue based on the social distancing standard, and uses the sensors located at the entrance and exit of the venue to count the visitors remaining in the venue. The internal display screen will show real-time visitor occupancy statistics. Once the number of visitors reaches the upper limit, the display screen at the entrance will show a message of not allowing entry to achieve control of visitor traffic.
Visitor traffic control has also been put in place since public libraries under the Leisure and Cultural Services Department re-opened, where readers in each admission session are reminded to leave the libraries by a message delivered by the public address systems. Tasked to update the contents of the message for about ten public libraries in Kowloon, the EMSD provided corresponding solutions based on each library’s system specifications, and managed to adjust all the systems within just two days.
Under the new norm of battling against the epidemic, the EMSD has played the role of “I&T Facilitator” to swiftly respond to the different needs of clients, so as to provide them with diversified solutions.
At the “E&M InnoTour: Anti-epidemic I&T Applications” Exhibition that took place at the EMSD Headquarters Building from 25 to 27 May 2020, the EMSD, together with colleagues from the Hospital Authority, the Department of Health, the Prince Philip Dental Hospital and the Government Laboratory, explored how I&T solutions can address challenges faced by clients in the healthcare sector during the epidemic. The exhibition attracted more than 300 participants, including Dr. Chan Hon-yee, the Director of Health, and her team. Through on-site demonstrations and interactive exhibits, the participants gained a better understanding of various I&T solutions. More exhibits on anti-epidemic I&T applications have also been adding to our E&M InnoZone. Client departments are welcome to pay a visit to the exhibition as well.
If clients are interested in the above exhibition, please contact Mr. Lam Kam-chun, Senior Engineer, at 2808 3879.
Some of the anti-epidemic I&T solutions are covered in the newly published leaflet on the 2nd 5-year Strategic Plan of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund. You are welcome to visit the website https://www.emsd.gov.hk/minisites/2nd5yearplan/leaflet/issue5/p_all.pdf to find out more about the solutions, as well as our latest progress in E&M digitisation and fostering teams with digitisation practices.
One of the keys to success in anti-epidemic work lies in the proper isolation of high-risk individuals. In February 2020, the Government planned to convert the Junior Police Call Permanent Activity Centre and Integrated Youth Training Camp (Centre) at Pat Heung, Yuen Long into quarantine facilities. The EMSD was responsible for enhancing the water and power supply, lighting, broadcasting and sewage treatment systems, etc., of the Centre, as well as providing advice on electrical and mechanical (E&M) equipment for the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD).
At the Centre, which was the former Fire Services Training School built in 1968, many of the original facilities were no longer in use. The first stage of works involved conversion of four quarters into 88 quarantine units, while at the second stage, 120 quarantine units were built via the modular integrated construction method.
The conversion of the Centre into quarantine facilities for accommodating hundreds of people for a long stay implied an increase in the demand for fresh water supply. In this connection, the EMSD had to install additional water pumps for the water supply system. However, it would normally take two to three months, from order to delivery, to get the equipment. The team responded quickly and finally got suitable equipment from the stock of other sub-divisions to meet the urgent demand for water supply. Besides, as the people placed under quarantine are high-risk individuals and their domestic sewage must be handled with care, the EMSD also enhanced the sewage treatment system of the Centre. Apart from setting up an overflow alarm system for the sewage holding tanks, the EMSD proactively proposed connecting the local alarm to a remote monitoring panel at the duty room. When the sewage storage nearly reaches the full level, the system will simultaneously issue an alarm from the monitoring panel and send an SMS message to designated management officers. This will allow the client to arrange sewage collection by contractors in time. The EMSD will continue to provide 24-hour technical support to meet the needs of the Centre’s E&M equipment.
In early 2020, the first round of selection for the Engineering Graduate Training Scheme (EGTS) of the EMSD was affected by the epidemic and could not be commenced in February as scheduled. In order not to delay the EGTS, the EMSD decided to conduct remote interviews and adopted various network security measures. The EMSD set up a cross-divisional working group in March 2020 to plan and develop a new format of interview to replace the conventional format of face-to-face group interview. With the application of web conferencing technology, the new format allowed the EMSD to record impromptu presentations delivered by applicants during the interviews, and then conduct remote assessments. More than 400 applicants were successfully interviewed online by the end of April.
The EMSD installed a set of software modules of the web conferencing system at the data centre at its headquarters, which was awarded the ISO 27001:2013 Information Security Management System Certification. With these modules, all interview data which was required to be kept confidential would be processed by the EMSD’s internal server without the risk of data leakage to the external service provider. The configuration of the software modules is simple and the installation cost is not high. In addition, the EMSD reviewed and enhanced the security settings of the system at network and system levels, and consulted the Office of the Government Chief Information Officer and independent information security auditor on the design process and information security. The online interview system allows applicants to attend interviews while staying at home. The technology it uses can also be applied to online meetings and teaching, breaking geographical boundaries and greatly saving time and manpower.
If clients are interested in adopting the interview system mentioned above, please call Mr. Chan Hor-yin, Senior Engineer, at 2808 3593.
Visit the website at https://bit.ly/EMSD_ EG_Interview_2020 to view our experience-sharing video on the online interview system.
Mr. Pang Yiu-hung has been appointed as Acting Director of Electrical and Mechanical Services and General Manager of the Electrical and Mechanical Services Trading Fund with effect from 22 April 2020. Mr. Pang leads our regulatory and trading services to ensure electrical and mechanical safety for the public and provide quality, diversified and cost-effective electrical and mechanical engineering services to government departments and public organisations so as to enhance the quality of public services.
Under Mr. Pang’s leadership, we uphold the principles of flexibility, innovation and customer-oriented culture in providing our client departments and the public with professional and quality electrical, mechanical, building services and electronic engineering services. Besides, we safeguard public safety and promote energy conservation and emission reduction by enforcing ordinances related to electrical, mechanical, gas and railway safety and energy efficiency as well as carrying out relevant regulatory work. We also strive to maintain close liaison with different stakeholders so as to listen to their views for continuous enhancement of our services.
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Published by: Corporate Services Division, Electrical and Mechanical Services Department
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E-mail: ccsd@emsd.gov.hk