The Occupational Health and Safety Council (OHSC) and six other organizers conducted a
series of activities from June to September 2001 as part of the "Construction Safety
Promotional Campaign&" and made 6 September the "Construction Safety Day".
The "Safe Working Cycle&" practice originated in Japan and the OHSC has
tailor-made a series of reference materials for the Hong Kong construction industry to
help reduce the number of accidents and promote a safety culture. The Safe Working Cycle
Forum and Award Presentation was organized to recognize the industry's efforts in
implementing the Safe Working Cycle.
17 out of the 49 contesting
sites were shortlisted as finalists to participate in the Safe Working Cycle Forum, and
five of the shortlisted sites belonged to SOBC and SOC.
"Our achievement
relies on the support and commitment of our site staff, sub-contractors and workers to the
Safe Working Cycle. Their attitude towards safety on construction sites is changing. Site
safety has become the responsibility of all site personnel and workers, and I believe it
will gradually become a routine in their daily work. We will continue to implement the
Safe Working Cycle at all our construction sites in order to constantly maintain a safe
and healthy working environment and work towards the 'zero accident' goal,"
said Mr Louis Wong, Deputy Managing Director of Shui On Construction and Materials Limited
(SOCAM).
Shui On started
implementing the Safe Working Cycle in July 2000. Since then, site safety
performance has shown remarkable improvement. Not only has the accident rate dropped
significantly, but a stronger sense of teamwork and participation has also been developed.
The daily morning meeting in the Safe Working Cycle enables two-way communication between
management and workers so that workers get involved in setting appropriate safety measures
that meet their needs.
SOBC and SOC are wholly
owned subsidiaries of the publicly listed Shui On Construction and Materials Limited
(SOCAM). As early as June 1992, SOBC became the first building contractor to achieve ISO
9002 certification in Hong Kong. SOC also obtained ISO 9002 certification in December
1995. Both companies were awarded the Occupational Health and Safety Assessment Series
(OHSAS) 18001 certification by the Hong Kong Quality Assurance Agency (HKQAA) in November
2000. They were also awarded ISO 14001 certification by the HKQAA and the China National
Accreditation Committee for Environmental System Certification Bodies (CACEB) in 1999 and
2000 respectively.
Attachment
List of awards won
by Shui On Building Contractors Limited (SOBC) and Shui On Construction Limited (SOC) in
the “Safe Working Cycle Forum and Award Presentation”
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