Social Responsibilities

Our responsibility is not limited to maintaining a green and healthy environment for our client departments and the public. As a caring and responsible corporate citizen, we also have the obligation to provide a safe and healthy environment for our employees, other parties working for us, as well as those who may be affected by our work, and to comply with the relevant laws and regulations. As a government department, we operate under the HKSAR Government policy framework, especially on labour and human rights issues. Governed by the Civil Service Bureau’s codes of conduct, we also provide equal employment opportunities in accordance with the law.

Staff Employment

At the end of 2007/08, we have approximately 5,100 employees, about 71% of whom are employed on permanent terms. As a commitment to upholding the equal opportunity employment policy, we currently have 255 employees with minor disabilities, representing about 5% of our total workforce.

As for salary payment, we strictly adhere to government policies on timely payment of staff salaries and maintain payment records as required.

In 2007/08, we introduced a New Non-Civil Service Contract (NCSC) Technician Scheme to reinforce NCSC personnel’s sense of belonging and provide a clearer career progression through Technician II, I and Senior Technician grades.

	Young Engineer Recognised for Outstanding Community Service 2007/08 was a remarkable year for EMSD’s engineer Fanny Ting, winner of the Certificate of Merit under the “Young Engineer of the Year Award” organised by the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers. Ms. Ting was the first woman E&M Engineer to receive the award. Ms. Ting joined EMSD as an engineering graduate in 2002 and was awarded the Best Trainee of the Year in 2004. During her service in EMSD, she participated in a number of installation projects related to public services. Ms. Ting is also active in community services and activities in the engineering field. Award Presentation Ceremony

Graduate Training Scheme
Since its inception in the 1960s, our Engineering Graduate Training Programme has attracted more than 640 graduate participants. The programme has long been considered one of the best on-the-job training schemes in the engineering profession in Hong Kong and has contributed to the provision of trained engineers to meet the needs of the local profession. In 2007, we recruited 19 engineering graduates specialising in electrical, mechanical, electronic, building services, information technology and biomedical engineering.

Apprentice Training Scheme
Another key training programme is our Technician and Craft Apprentice Training Scheme which aims to provide systematic training of good standard to satisfy the present and future needs of EMSD as well as the community in a wide variety of occupations. The long-standing scheme has been running for over 50 years, successfully training more than 4,500 apprentices for the profession.

Training Targets
In 2007/08, we achieved 5.67 training days per staff per year on average, far exceeding the 4.5 days target set for the year. We continue to encourage and provide training relevant to enhancing our services and developing new business, and to facilitate employees’ personal growth.

On-line Training Needs Survey
In order to collect the training needs of staff in a more effective way, we launched an on-line training needs survey platform in November 2007 for staff to express their training needs on-line for the coming year. Staff can thus create a personalised training needs profile. The survey data also gives individual division valuable information for overall planning and compilation of their divisional training plans.

Healthy and Safe Working Environment

Occupational Health and Safety
At EMSD, we take a proactive approach to Occupational Health and Safety (OH&S). Our Safety and Health Policy and infrastructure help ensure that a high standard of OH&S in the workplace can be achieved and maintained throughout the department. Our Departmental Occupational Safety and Health Committee, which comprises management and staff representatives from branches/divisions as well as departmental consultative committees, meets on a regular basis to review our health and safety performance in all areas with a view to identifying areas for improvement. We have continued to conduct training and refresher courses, and disseminate information through various channels. Our accident rate has steadily declined since 2000, and more recently from 6.19 per 1,000 staff in 2006/07 to 5.46 per 1,000 staff in 2007/08.

Sick Leave
In 2007/08, a total of 18,151 working days were lost due to sick leave. This is equivalent to around 3.54 days per employee.

Staff Relations

Staff Satisfaction Survey
Independent research specialists are appointed to conduct staff satisfaction surveys on a regular basis. In the latest 2007 survey, every employee at senior engineer rank and below was provided with an opportunity to express his/her views through a survey questionnaire. The average overall staff satisfaction rating is 6.5 (on a scale of 10) which is at the same level as that in 2005. Overall satisfaction level in the past few years shows an upward trend.

Staff Consultation Channels
In addition, we have 4 departmental consultative committees and 5 divisional consultative committees to facilitate communication between particular groups of staff and management within EMSD. Staff members are also free to join the various established staff unions as well as the general government unions.

Internal Communication Audit
An independent consultant was commissioned to conduct an Internal Communication Audit for EMSD from May to September 2007, with the objective to review the effectiveness of our internal communication mechanisms and practices, and to make recommendations for improvement. Follow-up actions will be taken to enhance the various internal communication channels and practices both on a corporate and divisional level, on the basis of the consultant’s recommendations.

Contractor and Supplier Management

We often invite our working partners, such as consultants and contractors, to tender for public works contracts. In selecting contractors, we adhere to the basic principles of honesty and fairness, and adopt competitive tendering wherever applicable in compliance with government guidelines. We have established and maintained close communication with our suppliers and contractors to ensure that critical information, such as customer concerns, is clearly conveyed to them and relevant issues are addressed properly and in a timely manner. To monitor the work of contractors, we conduct regular meetings and audits to keep track of project progress as well as to minimise any inconvenience or disturbance caused to the neighbourhoods where the works take place. Post-project reviews are carried out upon project completion to further assess contractor performance. In order to enhance the awareness and sensitivity of staff to issues of integrity and conduct, integrity management workshops are arranged for staff who have official dealings/contacts with consultants/contractors and their supervisors.

Customers

Customer satisfaction influences our day-to-day business, particularly that of our Trading Services. In this regard, we commission an independent Customer Satisfaction Survey once every two years to gauge customer satisfaction level. The most recent survey was completed in April 2008 and we have looked into the results to identify areas for improvement. With regard to Regulatory Services, our Customer Liaison Group meets regularly with representatives from the general public to exchange views and obtain face-to-face feedback on our regulatory and safety promotion activities, and how they can be improved.

Community Activities

Our staff regularly participate in a variety of community activities. Some examples are the Community Chest Walk for Millions, Tree Planting Days, Green Carnival 2008 and Job Shadowing for Secondary School Students. In January 2008, our Staff Voluntary Service Team was awarded the10-Year Service Grand Award presented by the Secretary for the Civil Service, in recognition of our contribution towards community services.

Public Education
We work closely with other government departments and the community to promote E&M safety and energy efficiency to the trades and the public, an important aspect of the work of our Regulatory Services. Public education is conducted through a variety of channels, including mass media and the Internet, publications, promotional and advertising campaigns, posters and mail-outs, carnivals, road shows, game contests and quizzes, and talks and seminars tailored to both the trades and the general public. During 2007/08 we have continued to engage the community via the following activities: