Environmental
Management System
Green housekeeping
has been assigned high priority since the establishment of the Department
in 1986. The first departmental green housekeeping guideline, on
the use of electricity, was issued to our staff in 1987. Since then,
many more internal guidelines addressing various other aspects of
resource consumption and waste reduction during our daily operations
have been issued.
In 1993/94,
a formal Green Manager Scheme was launched for all government departments.
Our Director formally assumed the role of Green Manager of the department
to promote green awareness and good practice amongst our staff.
The Green Management
Committee, chaired by our Director, was established in June 1994
to set the direction for green management in the department. Our
Green Management Policy was formally written and adopted in 1996.
It was revised in 2000 and became our Environmental
Policy which covers also environmental management of our programmes
as well as green management of our operations.
In 2002, our
senior management endorsed an integration of our Environmental Management
System (EMS) and the existing Safety and Health Management System
(SHMS). This was accompanied by a merger of the Green Management
Committee and the existing Departmental Safety and Health Committee
into a new Departmental Environment, Safety and Health Committee
(DESHC). The DESHC is supported by the Environment, Safety and Health
Unit that is responsible for developing, implementing and reviewing
our EMS, SHMS and related practices department-wide.
Green practices
are carried out at each of our offices. An internal audit team has
been set up to conduct regular environmental audits of our offices.
We have implemented measures to separate and collect used paper
for recycling, to collect used laser toners and ink-jet cartridges
for refilling, to collect used film canisters for recycling, to
refill used fluorescent pens, to use ballpoint pen refills, to ban
the use of new paper for draft work, to recycle plastic office stationery,
and to use rechargeable instead of disposable batteries. To promote
waste recycling among our staff, mobile phone batteries have been
collected from staff for recovering since May 2002. A trial of recovering
plastic bags in EPD was also launched in August 2002. A total of
35 266 kilogrammes of waste paper and 197 kilogrammes of plastic
waste were collected in 2003 for recycling. Suggestions on green
measures are continuously sought from our staff through the departmental
Staff Suggestion Scheme.
To further reduce
the consumption of paper, communication by e-mail is now extensively
used in the department. An electronic fax system has also been implemented
in 2001 to send and receive fax transmissions electronically to
reduce use of paper. In 2003, we have launched a number of new initiatives,
including:
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A quota
and trading system to encourage paper saving on a divisional
basis and more sharing of documents, rather than photocopying. |
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An electronic
catalogue system for the department's library, through which
library items can be reserved and renewed for loan. |
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The suspension
of subscriptions to hard copies of newspapers, except for the
Media Relations Unit. On-line services have been subscribed
to instead. |
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A requirement
that all requests for purchase of computer and related items
to be submitted and approved electronically. |
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The setting
up an Information Management Committee to oversee the dissemination
of information internally and externally through the EPD's IT
infrastructure. |
To ensure our staff are
well aware of our Environmental Policy, all new staff are briefed
on environmental management measures as part of their induction
programme. Furthermore, our staff are provided with training on
environmental management through attendance at relevant courses.
Our staff committee organises outings for staff and their families
to participate in green activities outside the office.
More details on our environmental
management system can be found in the Environmental Protection Department's
Environmental Performance Report 2004.
Safety
and Health Management
Safety and health of
staff is a matter of great importance to the senior management.
Our stated policy on this subject is as follows:
"We are committed
to achieving a high standard of safety and health for all our staff
and others who may be affected by our activities. We shall provide
all necessary resources and employ sound management practices to
implement our policy, and provide training, information and guidelines
to our staff so that they are competent to perform their duties
in a safe and healthy manner. Also, we shall pursue continual improvement
in safety and health by regularly reviewing our performance."
In February 1998, we
formed a Safety & Health Unit to centrally co-ordinate and advise
on safety and health matters and to implement a safety and health
management system in the department. In order to enhance communication
and promotion of safety and health, the safety committee was organised
in May 1999 as the Departmental Safety and Health Committee, with
members from staff representatives and the management. Special working
groups are formed from time to time to work on specific safety and
health issues, and to prepare safety guidelines for use by staff.
In 1999, we were invited
by Civil Services Bureau to join the pilot scheme on implementation
of safety management system in the department for which Occupational
Safety and Health Council was appointed as the consultant to assist.
Under the scheme, the safety management system was progressively
developed and successfully implemented in the department. In 2001,
the first version of Departmental Safety and Health Plan was issued
which systematically set out the objectives, organisation structures,
resources, roles and responsibilities, practices and plans for implementation
of the safety management system. Subsequently, we were awarded the
first CISPROS (Continual Improvement Safety Programme Recognition
of System) Level 2 Certificate by the Council for recognition of
our successful implementation of a safety management system in the
department.
In 2002, we
integrated the environmental management system and the safety and
health system and operated on Integrated Management System (IMS).
The Safety & Health Unit was renamed as Environment, Safety
& Health Unit to look after IMS issues.
In 2003, we have launched
new safety and health initiatives, including :
- Introduction
of purpose-built manhole cover lifter which prevented unnecessary
back injuries during field inspections.
- Completion
of risk assessments of display screen equipment (DSE) and improvement
measures in accordance with the Occupational Safety and Health (DSE)
regulation.
- Participation
in the voluntary Indoor Air Quality Certification Scheme for EPD
premises.
As our staff need to
carry out their duties in a wide range of working environments,
ranging from landfill sites to laboratories, complaint handling
to law enforcement and building partnership with the community,
we arrange safety and health training on various aspects tailored
to the particular needs of our staff. In 2003, 46 training courses
were organised which were attended by 736 staff, and the spending
on safety and health training provided by outside institutions was
$0.175 million.
Safety inspections in
the workplace were also carried out regularly with action plans
prepared for improvement works. |