"To have received recognition of our system with this award is indeed a big achievement," said Mr Ng. "The Force is the only Government Department to have won the award and winning the award in our first attempt is also nothing short of a remarkable success. Credit goes to all those involved in implementing the Force Safety Management System (FSMS), from fontline risk assessors and risk managers, to our Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) instructor cadre and the staff of Weapons Training Division, for the part they played in the judging panel's site visit, as well as the Visual Aids Section at PTS for polishing the final presentation."

"This award follows a critical examination of the safety management system which we employ to keep staff safe. That our system has been recognised by a professional body in Hong Kong is fantastic," said Superintendent Rod Mason of OSH Division, Support Wing. "It is now up to our risk managers to implement it with the necessary dedication to make it work."

In February this year, the Force submitted an entry to Hong Kong Occupational Safety and Health Council Awards under the "Safety Management System Award" category. This category recognises those organisations, which have made outstanding achievements and excellence in occupational safety and health through the implementation of sound safety management systems.

The Force submitted comprehensive evidence of developing, implementing and maintaining an effective safety management system and the adoption of special procedures or methods to enhance implementation and coverage of key processes of the system.

The Occupational Safety and Health Council Awards are open to all companies and organisations of either an industrial or non-industrial undertaking registered under the Business Registration Ordinance, all Government Departments and public organisations.

The judging panel, comprising experts from various fields, first considered the submissions from each of the 157 contestants.

The Force's submission detailed, with supporting documentation, the FSMS and was accepted by the panel as sufficiently meritorious to be short-listed as one of the four finalists for the category, together with Cheung Kong Infrastructure Holdings Limited, Matilda International Hospital and Hongkong Electric Co. Limited.

Each of the short-listed finalists was required to deliver a presentation to the judging panel, followed by a Q&A session and a site visit. This was undertaken by Senior Inspector Paul Haley from OSH Division, Support Wing, and supported by a site visit to the Indoor Range in Arsenal House where aspects of safety management, including personal protective equipment, safety protocols and health surveillance, were covered.

At the Award presentation ceremony, each finalist had a last opportunity to make a 15-minute presentation before the judging panel. The Force was selected as the Silver Award winner after a presentation delivered by Mr Mason.

The Gold Award went to Hongkong Electric Co. Ltd.

Chief Superintendent David Ng Ka-sing (left) receiving the OSH Silver Award