The government is now promoting the implementation of safety management system in the Civil Service. As pledged in 1998 Policy Address, a 'Practical Guide on Safety Management System' was produced in July 1999 to provide guidance and supportive tools for bureaux/departments to develop the system. Continuous efforts will be made to promote the implementation of the system so that issues on occupational safety and health can be managed systematically and effectively in bureaux/departments. In brief, a safety management system consists of the following elements: 

1. A safety policy which states the commitment of the proprietor or contractor to safety and health at work;

2. A structure to assure implementation of the commitment to safety and health at work;

3. Training to equip personnel with knowledge to work safely and without risk to health;

4. In-house safety rules to provide instruction for achieving safety management objectives;

5. A programme of inspection to identify hazardous conditions and for the rectification of any such conditions at regular intervals or as appropriate;

6. A programme to identify hazardous exposure or the risk of such exposure to the workers and to provide suitable personal protective equipment as a last resort where engineering control methods are not feasible;

7. Investigation of accidents or incidents to find out the cause of any accident or incident and to develop prompt arrangements to prevent recurrence;

8. Emergency preparedness to develop, communicate and execute plans prescribing the effective management of emergency situations;

9. Evaluation, selection and control of sub-contractors to ensure that sub-contractors are fully aware of their safety obligations and are in fact meeting them;

10. Safety committees to identify, recommend and keep under review measures to improve the safety and health at work;

11. Evaluation of job related hazards or potential hazards and development of safety procedures;

12. Promotion, development and maintenance of safety and health awareness in a workplace;

13. A programme for accident control and elimination of hazards before exposing workers to any adverse work environment; and

14. A programme to protect workers from occupational health hazards.

For details, please refer to the 'A Guide to Safety Management' (PDF Format) issued by the Labour Department.