In Brief
Labour Department in health and safety drive
The Labour Department says 250 of its volunteers will visit 15,000 small and medium-sized businesses in the next four months to promote occupational safety and health awareness in Hong Kong. During the visits, the department said it would conduct questionnaires to assess basic work safety and health knowledge of company managers, and distribute pamphlets on the relevant legislation. Catering establishments and companies engaged in wholesale and retail services would be targeted this year, the department said. The programme will run from this month to September. Organisers of the programme are recruiting volunteers who will be given a one-day training course before the visits and will receive a certificate on completion. The department has been organising this project jointly with the social welfare department since 1999, and its volunteers have visited more than 118,000 workplaces.
Study finds poor working environments cause stress
One in three office staff in Britain believe their working environment is causing stress, according to a study. The survey of 1,000 office workers in Britain by law firm Eversheds also found that one in five respondents described the condition of their offices as poor or below average, with the most common description being 'tired' or 'outdated'. More than half of respondents said their working environment was hurting their productivity, and one in 10 said they had previously left a job because of the poor environment. Three quarters said the standard of the working environment would influence whether they accepted a job. The study recommends that productivity can be boosted by simple measures such as making sure there is plenty of natural light, keeping the temperature comfortable and making sure equipment is current.
