Press Releases - FEHD strives to provide frontline cleansing workers with convenience facilities (with photos)

FEHD strives to provide frontline cleansing workers with convenience facilities (with photos)

A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said on the International Labour Day (May 1) that the FEHD attaches importance to the needs of working staff. Over the past months, it has specifically reviewed the working environment of frontline cleansing workers in rural areas, and have taken specific measures to ensure that they would have convenient access to drinking water, places for a short break under hot weather, water for cleansing tools and toilet facilities at their workplaces or nearby.

To facilitate all the frontline cleansing workers (including departmental staff and outsourced service contractor staff) to comprehend the information, the FEHD has put up notices at the roll-call points of all District Cleansing Section (DCS), clearly listing the locations of the above-mentioned convenience facilities in the vicinity of each workplace to ensure that the workers are aware of the information and could make enquiries or comments to their supervisors. The DCS officers will also strengthen communication with frontline workers and make adjustments to the relevant arrangements having regard to the actual needs.

The spokesman said, "There are some 900 village-type refuse collection points (RCPs) / RCPs with temporary structures under the FEHD, and most of them are located in rural areas and unable to provide these convenience facilities within the RCPs due to landscape restriction. Despite the fact that no personnel were deployed to station at the RCPs, the Department spares no effort in ensuring that cleansing staff working in the vicinity can find drinking water, places for a short break under hot weather, water for cleansing tools and toilet facilities at their workplaces or areas within a walking distance of several minutes."

As the summer is approaching, the FEHD has already provided portable waist fans to all outdoor cleansing workers of the Department to help them keep cool in hot weather. Since last year, the Department has added a new contract clause when awarding new service contracts, requiring contractors to provide portable waist fans to outdoor working staff.

In fact, the FEHD has all along been committed to improving the working and resting environment of frontline cleansing workers in recent years. Changing and storage space as well as toilet facilities have been provided for frontline staff in all the newly commissioned facilities, including RCPs. The Department has been reviewing the convenience facilities at all off-street RCPs and roll-call points in the territory since 2019, and providing the staff with changing and personal storage space, resting facilities, cold and hot water dispensers, microwave ovens, electric steamers, refrigerators, electric fans, tables and chairs, storage cabinets and power sockets, etc. as far as practicable. Where environment and situation permit, air conditioning systems will also be installed in the staff resting place.

The FEHD has implemented a series of measures to enhance the monitoring of service contractors so as to protect the legitimate rights and interests of frontline cleansing workers. Apart from setting up a Central Investigation Team to follow up complaints against contractors for breaching employment regulations, the Department also conducts random checks and arranges interviews with the workers on employment-related matters regularly. Notices with hotlines are also posted up at the roll-call points for the workers to make enquiries/complaints. In addition, the Department conducts inspections to ensure that service contractors provide reasonable and safe working environments for their employees, and always abide by all relevant laws and contractual requirements. If a service contractor is found to be in breach of contract terms, such as failing to provide sufficient drinking water to employees in accordance with the contract, the FEHD could issue a notice of blatant default to the contractor and deduct its monthly payment for service.

A spokesman for the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) said on the International Labour Day (May 1) that as the summer is approaching, the FEHD has already provided portable waist fans to all outdoor cleansing workers of the Department to help them keep cool in hot weather. Since last year, the Department has added a new contract clause when awarding new service contracts, requiring contractors to provide portable waist fans to outdoor working staff. Photo shows the portable waist fan being used by a worker.

Ends/Monday, May 1, 2023