Feb 5, 2020   SOURCE: PR NewsWire

Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) Publish Environmental, Health & Safety (EHS) Audit Protocol for Hong Kong

VANCOUVER, British Columbia, Feb. 5, 2020 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) and Specialty Technical Consultants (STC) announce the availability of the new International Audit Protocol Consortium (IAPC) EHS audit protocol for Hong Kong. Leading companies around the world use IAPC EHS audit protocols to understand the scope of their EHS regulatory obligations and rapidly collect, share, archive, and export audit findings in a cost effective manner. IAPC EHS audit protocols are now prepared by STC in partnership with STP and continue to focus on those national (plus, in some cases, regional or provincial) EHS requirements that have site-specific application for manufacturing operations. As a leading EHS management consulting firm with a global network of experienced EHS teaming partners, STC has indepth knowledge and technical expertise of local/regional EHS requirements.

STP and STC maintain leading-edge EHS audit protocols for more than 50 jurisdictions. The protocol documents are written in English and are available in MS Word, Adobe Acrobat and Excel formats, as well as through STP's web-based portal or can be integrated into an existing company platform. Using the protocols' custom templates and advanced functionality features, auditors can easily track audit findings and manage data over time to improve compliance, risk management and safety performance. In addition, STP's formatting is compatible with leading risk management and sustainability platform providers.

The Hong Kong audit protocol covers relevant national EHS requirements. The regulatory date for the current release is July 2019. This EHS audit protocol is organized around sixteen topics, with a separate section devoted to each, as follows: 

    --  General Environmental
    --  General Health and Safety
    --  Air Emissions
    --  Equipment, Machine and Electrical Safet
    --  Solid and Hazardous Waste
    --  Material Handling and General In-Plant Safety
    --  Water Resources
    --  Fire Safety
    --  Above and Below Ground Tank Management
    --  Transport of Dangerous Goods
    --  Community Noise
    --  Industrial Hygiene
    --  PCBs
    --  Chemical Management
    --  Asbestos
    --  Construction Work Site Safety

In Hong Kong, environmental framework legislation is issued on the regional level, i.e. the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China. Environmental laws (ordinances) are issued by the Legislative Council and if power to issue subordinate legislation is delegated, then the Chief Executive in Council may issue implementing regulations. There is no one overarching piece of legislation governing environmental law in Hong Kong. The major environmental laws include:

    --  "Air Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap 311)"
    --  "Water Pollution Control Ordinance (Cap 358)"
    --  "Waste Disposal Ordinance (Cap 354)"
    --  "Hazardous Chemicals Control Ordinance (Cap 595)" Implementing
        regulations were issued under each of the above listed Ordinances.

Enforcement of environmental laws is mainly carried out by the Environmental Protection Department (EPD). EPD is responsible for inspections, licensing and responding to complaints. In addition, EPD prosecutes violations of environmental laws. More information about EPD is available online at https://www.epd.gov.hk/epd/english/top.html. As with environmental legislation, the health and safety legislation is issued on the regional level. "Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, Cap. 509" is the one main law governing issues related to health and safety. This Ordinance covers almost all workplaces including factories, construction sites, offices, shopping centres, etc. The "Occupational Safety and Health Regulation, Cap. 509A" issued under the Ordinance sets forth requirements for accident prevention, fire precaution, workplace environment control, hygiene at workplaces, first aid, as well as what employers and employees are expected to do in manual handling operations. In addition to the above, occupational health and safety requirements applicable to industrial operations are covered in the "Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap 59)" and implementing regulations. The "Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance (Cap 59)" sets forth general responsibilities of employers and employees. Most of the health and safety laws are enforced by the Labour Department. More information about the Labour Department is available online at https://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/faq/content.htm. Issues related to fire safety are enforced by the Fire Services Department. More information about the Fire Services Department are available online at https://www.hkfsd.gov.hk/eng/. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is responsible for enforcement of laws addressing lifts and escalators safety. More information about the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department is available online at https://www.emsd.gov.hk/en/lifts_and_escalators_safety/.

For more information on all International EHS audit protocols offered by STP and STC click here.

About Specialty Technical Publishers
Specialty Technical Publishers (STP) produces technical resource guides covering environmental, health & safety, transportation, accounting, business practices, standards and law, offering comprehensive guidance on key compliance and regulatory issues. STP is a division of Glacier Media Inc., a Canadian information communications company that provides primary and essential information in print, electronic and online media. Glacier's Business and Professional Information Group publishes directories, technical manuals, research and development materials, medical education, electronic databases, investment information and specialty websites.

About Specialty Technical Consultants
Specialty Technical Consultants, Inc. (STC) is a specialized management consulting firm working to enhance environmental health and safety (EHS) performance. Through its consulting services, STC partners with clients to strengthen management systems' design and implementation, and identifies needs and implements solutions to meet business objectives. Services provided include: EHS compliance support; risk assessment; EHS auditing; corporate responsibility and sustainability; EHS management systems development and implementation; EHS regulatory information tools; and EHS training.

STC is certified as a Woman-Owned Business Enterprise (WBE) by the Women's Business Enterprise National Council (WBENC) and the Supplier Clearinghouse for the California Public Utilities Commission, and as a Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (DBE) Program.

SOURCE Specialty Technical Publishers