Revised Code of Practice for Safety and Health at Work in Confined Spaces Came into Force

The revised Code of Practice for Safety and Health at Work in Confined Spaces (CoP) came into force on 30 November 2024. The major revisions of the CoP include the enhancement of requirements for proprietors’ or contractors’ supervision on confined space work; highlighting the factors for assessing whether a particular job constitutes underground pipework; adding a detailed template on the risk assessment form and listing out the setting of an air-monitoring alarm; and an update on the Permit-to-work Certificate template. New requirements have also been added to the revised CoP, such as requiring proprietors or contractors to adopt technology to record videos at the entrance and exit of the confined space throughout the entire work period to enhance monitoring relevant personnel’s compliance with the safety precautions.

Meanwhile, the Labour Department has refined the mandatory safety training courses for confined space operations to enhance the industry’s understanding of common risks and its ability to mitigate these risks, which includes updating the course content, extending the course duration and shortening the validity period of the relevant safety certificates so that industry personnel will refresh their safety knowledge more frequently and stay updated on new legislative developments.

For more information on working in confined spaces, or to download the revised CoP, please visit the Labour Department’s new thematic website: www.labour.gov.hk/eng/news/osh_confinedspace.htm