Safe Community Tai Po

Country: Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
Number of inhabitants: 320,000
Programme started year: 2002
International Safe Communities Network Membership: Designation year: 2005
Information address on www for the programme:www.tpshc.org


Project Logo

The programme covers the following safety promotion activities:

For the age group

Children 0-14 years:
Promotional Pamphlets on Childhood Injury Prevention
Department of Health has structured seminars and produced various pamphlets and printing materials to educate parents on childhood injury prevention. Topics include “Love your Child, Prevent Injuries (0-1 years old / 1-3 years old / 3-5 years old)”, “Love your Child, Prevent Accidents (Home Safety)”, etc. The pamphlets and posters can also be downloaded directly from the website of Department of Health for the convenience of the general public.

Moreover, a comprehensive Home Safety booklet was produced by Safe and Healthy Neigbourhood Working Group. One of the themes of this booklet also aims to promote home safety for infants and children. More than 20,000 copies have been distributed to the public in Tai Po. Contents of the booklet include:


• Fire Safety Tips
• Safe Use of Electrical Appliances
• Towngas Safety Tips
• Home Security Tips
• General First Aid Guidelines
• Home Safety Tips for the Elderly
• Home Safety Tips for Infants and Children
• Emergency Contact Numbers

Road Safety Promotion for the Kids in Kindergarten
Please see Traffic below

Tai Po Safety and Health Promoting Schools Project
The Project was launched to instill safety and health concepts to primary school students in 2000 by United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service in collaboration with Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital. For details please see “School” below.

Other Programmes
Other safety promotion programmes (such as home safety, road safety, safe cycling campaign, fire safety, and crime prevention) were frequently organized by respective government departments, Tai Po District Council, non-government organizations and local schools.

Youth 15 – 24 years:
Building Safety Culture Among Young People
Safety awareness should be nurtured and taught at the early stage. A dynamic variety show entitled “Tai Po Occupational Safety and Health Concert”, was jointly organized by the Agriculture, Fisheries, Commerce and Industries Committee of Tai Po District Council, Tai Po Home Affairs Department, Occupational Safety and Health Council and Radio Television Hong Kong every year. The aim was to raise young people’s awareness of, and at the same time, foster a positive attitude towards workplace safety and health, which in turn will enable them to maintain a high standard of occupational safety and health in their future places of work. The event attracted over 3,000 youngsters to participate each year. To share the occupational safety and health message with the wider community, the variety show was also broadcasted on air and online.

Services for the Young Night Drifters of Tai Po

In order to identify the needs of the young night drifters of Tai Po District, and render appropriate following up services, the Tai Po District Youth Outreaching Social Work Team of Hong Kong Children & Youth Services has organized various overnight outreaching services since September 2001. The objectives are as follows:

1. To minimize the chance of young night drifter coming under negative influence while drifting on the streets in late-night.
2. To provide on-the-spot crisis intervention for young people.
3. To provide guidance and service on their problems related to their functioning in school, vocation, family, interpersonal relationship and self-development, including referring them to other appropriate welfare services.
4. To enhance their problem solving skills, positive social as well as personal participation and development.

The services provided include: provision of mid-night programmes at indoor sports centers, sex education volunteer service, conducting mentoring scheme known as Shinning in the Storm, counseling service etc. These services intend to enhance the social skills, emotional control and interpersonal relationship of the young night drifters with others so as to prevent bullying and protect them from violence behavior. It is also hoped that the young people can build up safe behaviors and healthy lifestyles through the programme.

Other safety promotion programmes and services for the young people had been integrated in programmes mentioned in “Traffic”, “Occupational” and Violence Prevention” below.

Adults 25-64 years:
Safety and Health Fort Project (Mobile Resources Centre)
Changing demography, technology, knowledge and disease pattern prompted health institution worldwide to advocate for a community-based health service delivery model instead of a hospital-based model. The Safety and Health Promotion Working Group under such direction launched a new initiative, namely “Safety and Health Fort Project” in late 2004 with the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital and Tai Po District Council.

The “Safety and Health Fort”, in fact, is a mobile resources centre accessible to the people of different areas in the community. Services provided at the centre included:

• Safety and health information exhibition
• Safety and health education programme
• Consultation for elderly regarding fall prevention at home by occupational therapist
• Fall prevention assessment by physiotherapist

Other Programme
Please see “Occupational” and “Traffic” below.

Elderly 65+ years
Community Project for Cold Spelt Warning---Programmes for Senior Citizens and Elderly Living Alone
Community Project for Cold Spell Warning---Programmes for Senior Citizens and Elderly Living Alone
There are around six thousand elderly living without family support in Tai Po. Many of them suffer from chronic illnesses and live in adverse environment. Assessment on their genuine needs is necessary (particularly for those who suffering from Hypothermia) so that emergency support and other resources arrangement can be provided promptly during cold weather period. The Salvation Army Integrative Service for senior citizens have recruited and collaborated with social welfare and medical professionals as well as other community volunteers to develop and coordinate the programme and foster a caring society for high-risk elderly in Tai Po.

Whenever there was a sudden drop in temperature or persistently low temperature during winter season, emergency visiting team composing professional volunteers would bring along the necessary medical equipments, hot soup and warm clothing and visit those high risk elderly in the evening. When the physical conditions of the elderly changed and required special attention, the team would transfer the elderly to the respective care and attention home or even to hospital. On the other hand, community volunteers are assigned either to pay home visits or make phone calls to the elderly under their care to ensure they are safe at home. Relevant trainings are also provided to volunteers to enhance their capabilities. The elderly will also be taught how to protect themselves to minimize associated risk.

Other programmes for the elderly will be introduced in “Programmes Aiming at High Risk Group”

At the following environments:

Home/Estate

Safe and Healthy Neigbourhood Scheme
The Safe and Healthy Neighbourhood Working Group launched the Safe and Healthy Neighbourhood Scheme since late 2002. The scheme aims at promoting home safety and healthy lifestyle among local residents particularly through the involvement of local residents’ incorporations. With the support of these incorporations, home and estate safety information could be more easily disseminated to and accessed by the residents.

Tai Po Safety and Quality Building Management Competition
In order to enhance the property management standards among local estates, the Safe and Healthy Neighborhood Working Group and Tai Po Fire Prevention Committee of Tai Po District Office co-organized the Tai Po Safety and Quality Building Management Competition in September 2004. 21 residents’ incorporation associations and their estate management agents participated, and the following areas were assessed:
• building safety and maintenance inspection
• fire service installations and equipment inspection
• security service
• estate environmental cleanliness
• erection of unauthorized building structures.

Improvement on Safety and Physical Environment

Local government departments had carried out substantial numbers of improvement works in the community. These included projects of local public works, minor safety and environmental improvement and rural public works. The completion of these projects would reduce the potential risk of physical environment to the public, prevent injuries and accidents, provide safe access to roads in rural areas and create a better living environment to residents. Examples of these projects included, “Improvement to stream embankment and footpath at Cheung Uk Tei, Tai Po”, “Improvement to Access Road at Nam Wah Po, Tai Po”, and “Provision of ramp for wheelchair users and installation of cover for pedestrians in Kwong Fuk Estate”.

Traffic

Hong Kong Police Force in Tai Po plays a significant role in road safety promotion. Mass-media such as radio and television is very helpful in broadcasting and conveying road safety activities and road safety messages to the public. Road safety promotion activities including road safety talks, visits to school, road safety seminars, carnivals, exhibitions and leaflets distribution in Tai Po district are frequently organized by local government departments in partnership with Tai Po District Council, schools, non-government organizations, residents’ associations and road safety partners including transport operators.

Road Safety Promotion for the Kid
The Police Force arranges regular road safety talks at least once a year in each kindergarten in Tai Po. As a result, more than 5,000 kids are educated on road safety each year. These kids will visit the Shatin Road Safety Park in which they would be demonstrated how to use different kinds of road crossing facilities and the proper way of crossing the road.

Road Safety Promotion
The themes of road safety promotion Activities in 2004 include Safe and Smart Driving, Anti-drink Driving, Road Safety, Pedestrian Road Safety Weeks, Safe Cycling Campaign, Awareness of Road Safety for Tourists, Safe Driving for Public Light Bus, Awareness of Road Safe for Tourist, Traffic Enforcement Against Jay-walking

To prevent road accidents, law enforcement is essential. Apart from the community education on road safety promotion, the police will issue verbal warning to those pedestrians who do not comply with the traffic/road-users regulation.

Occupational

The collective efforts of Tai Po Safe and Healthy City and its supporting bodies have contributed to a significant improvement in workplace safety. Apart from the “Tai Po Occupational Safety and Health Concert” (please see youth 15-24 years above), the follow workplace safety promotion programmes had been held regularly.

Workplace Safety Campaign for Frontline Workers
A Rural Area Construction Safety Campaign was launched to enhance workers’ awareness of construction site safety in rural areas. Seminars were held to remind construction workers of the major high-risk hazards, safe working procedures, the correct usage of tools and facilities and effective risk control measures.

Another focus of workplace safety campaign is chemical safety. The Tai Po Industrial Estate is located within Tai Po District. Many factories and companies based there frequently use large amount of chemical products and/or chemical materials in their production processes. Incorrect handling and improper storage of explosive, flammable and dangerous chemical products can lead to fatal accidents. In addition, some chemical products are detrimental to health and can trigger a variety of diseases. To strengthen workers’ understanding of the importance of chemical safety in the workplace, a chemical safety seminar is held every year inviting employers and employees from various industries to participate. Each year, over 600 participants attend the seminar.

Partner with Enterprise to Promote Safety and Health
The Occupational Safety and Health Council works closely with corporations in the Tai Po Industrial Estate to establish safety management system. OSHC staff work with corporations to review their safety working procedures, assess potential workplace hazards, and advise them on the establishment and operation of a tailor-made safety management system.

Schools

Tai Po Safety and Health Promoting Schools Project
In order to instill safety and health concepts to the general public at an early age, the above project was launched in 2000 by United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service (UCNCHS) in collaboration with Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital (AHNH). It emphasizes entire school participation, liaison with community and family involvement to build up a harmonious, safe and healthy community. At present, there are 18 member schools including 16 primary and 2 secondary schools. Over 30,000 students, 1,500 teachers and 500 parents joined the programmes throughout these years. The participating schools are encouraged to formulate their safety school policies like First Aid Policy and Emergency Policy, Improvement and appropriate measures are taken to create a safe school environment. The project has other characteristics:

Empowerment Programme
Teacher Training Course and Student Leaders Training Course are organized centrally to equip teachers and students with knowledge on common safety and health problems encountered by them.

Safety and Health Talks / Promotion Activities
A series of safety and health education/promotion activities on sport safety, physical exercise, spine protection, safe environment, anti-smoking, drug abuse prevention, and SARS / flu prevention had been organized aiming at creating a safe and healthy school environment.

Students doing exercise together in the morning

Sports
Safety Promotion for Cyclists and the Pedestrian

Safe Cycling Campaign
Reckless and careless road crossing and cycling would increase the risk of traffic accident or increase the risk of injury or death. Territory-wide pedestrian road safety and cycling campaign had been regularly conducted by the Police Force. Police officers are deployed at locations where traffic accidents have occurred before and educate the public on the proper ways of crossing the road as well as cycling safety. During the on-street education (normally 30 minutes for each session) police officers will give verbal advice or warning to pedestrians or cyclist. They will also distribute leaflets with messages of road and cycling safety at the same time. The cyclists are also encouraged to wear helmet for preventing head injury when fall/accident happens.

Violence prevention (Crime prevention)

Crime Prevention Carnival

Tai Po is generally a safe community but the risk of becoming the victim of crime does exist. The Police Community Relations Office of local police is responsible for crime prevention activities. Their duties mainly include:

• liaison with local residents’ incorporations;
• organization of Junior Police Call (JPC) activities;
• close liaison with schools, other Government departments, and community organizations;
• production and distribution of crime prevention leaflets and posters.

The major criminal offences mainly included shop theft, burglary with breaking and theft from vehicles in 2004. In regard to violent crime, serious assault and robberies were the main categories in the same period. Nevertheless, the overall figures are in a descending trend during the past few years. Tai Po district is still having one of the lowest crime rates taking into consideration of its 300,000 population.

With the collaboration of Tai Po District Fight Crime Committee, non-governmental organizations, schools and the Police Force, programmes on crime prevention like fight crime carnival, exhibition and talks at school, and Junior Police Call activities for students and young people were regularly launched each year.

Suicide prevention

Joint Project on Prevention of Elderly Suicide
The Salvation Army had joined in the LIVE LIFE-Joint Project on Prevention of Elderly Suicide since 2001. The project aims:
•to promote public awareness of mental wellness in old age and related issues of elderly suicide through a proactive approach
• to equip practitioners with the necessary skills to handle elderly suicide cases
• to pilot on a coordinated service model on handling elderly suicide and promotion of mental health among older persons

A 3-tier model is adopted in the project which involves people with different levels of professional training or intensity of contact with the depressed elderly persons:

First Tier
Hotline service is set up and trained volunteers will provide emotional support to the callers. Volunteer visits to the elderly living in Tai Po are also included in this Tier. Those elderly who are identified to have suicidal tendency or depressive mood will be referred to the 2nd tier for psycho-intervention.

Second Tier
Professional counselors from multi-service centre for the elderly and family service centres with specialized training will provide counseling and other related services to those elderly with tendency of depression and suicide. Whenever the counselors identify the elderly to be in need of psychiatric assessment or treatment, they will refer them to the 3rd tier.

Third Tier (Life Clinic)
Psychogeriatric specialists will provide treatment or rehabilitation service in the form of “life clinic”.

The Project has achieved the following outcome since implementation:
• Telephone hotline received: 800 calls
• Counseling services provided: 60
• Life Clinic attendants: 40

Programs aiming at “High risk-groups”
Joint Project on Prevention of Elderly Suicide (see Suicide Prevention above)

Programms aiming at “High risk-groups”

Joint Project on Prevention of Elderly Suicide (see Suicide Prevention above)

Surveillance of Injuries

In Tai Po, different local government departments such as the Fire Services Department, Police Force, Department of Health, Labour Department, etc. have all along been collecting accident and injury related data. Besides, all injuries consulting the Accident and Emergency Department of the Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital are recorded, and the data are analyzed and categorized according to age, sex, trauma types, triage categories, etc.

Injury Attendance to Accident and Emergency Department
An Accident and Emergency Information System, one of the two main computer tools introduced under the Hospital Authority’s 10-year push towards “e-medicine” in public hospitals, has been installed to capture all attendance at the Emergency Department of Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital. Besides logging the injury data of patients, the system also serves as a tool for disease surveillance.

The table below shows the no. of injury cases by types from 2002-2004:

According to the figures, domestic, industrial and sports injuries have all along been the top three injury types in Tai Po in the past three years. When compared to those figures in 2002 i.e. the year before the TPSHC project was launched, no. of injury cases have been significantly reduced in 2003 and 2004.

International Commitment

Members of the Tai Po Safe and Healthy City Steering and Working Committee are committed in building up a Safe Community by sharing experiences with other partners of international safe communities.
Date Event
7 March 2002 Professor Leif Svanstrom introduced the ‘Safe Community Project” during the Safe Community Meeting at OSH Council, Hong Kong. There was also discussion on the development of safe community project in Hong Kong, especially in Tai Po District.

15 March 2003 Tai Po Safe and Healthy City Inauguration cum Mural Unveiling Ceremony was held. Professor Leif Svanstrom was the guest of honour for the ceremony.

18 - 20 March 2003
Co-chairman of TPSHC Steering and Working Committee (SWC) presented the TPSHC Project in the 12th International Conference on Safe Communities / Safety and Health Expo 2003 held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

13 June 2004 Participated in the Macau Healthy City Launching Ceremony.

22 – 23 November 2004 Dr. Augustine Lam, member of TPSHC SWC, presented the TPSHC Project in the 12th Quadripartite Seminar on Occupational Safety and Health held at Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre.

28 April 2005 Members participated in the seminar on World Day for Safety and Health at Work. Speakers from Israel, Canada and Hong Kong shared with participants on topics related to work safety and prevention of injury on duty.

13 – 15 June 2005 Dr. Nancy Tung, the co-chairmen of TPSHC Steering and Working Committee and Dr. Augustine Lam participated in the 14th International Conference on Safe Communities in Bergen, Norway with oral presentation on Tai Po Safe Community Project.
Members of the TPSHC Steering and Working Committee will continue to participate in the activities of the WHO’s network of Safe Communities.

Prof. L. Svanstrom in the Inauguration Ceremony (left)

Dr. N. Tung at Bergen , Norway

Publications:
Download the application report:

Tai Po, Hong Kong, SAR China- Application to Become a Member of the Safe Community Network

Staff:
Number: 7 part-time
Professions: Medical and health professional, health administrator
Organization / Specific inter-sectoral leadership group / General public health / Health promotion group:
Tai Po Safe and Healthy Steering and Working Committee is supported by the following member organizations:
• Tai Po District Council
• Environmental Protection Department
• Food & Environmental Hygiene Department
• Home Affairs Department
• Hong Kong Housing Authority
• Leisure & Cultural Services Department
• Hong Kong Police Force
• Social Welfare Department
• Transport Department
• CLP Power Hong Kong Limited
• The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited
• Kowloon Motor Bus(1933) Limited
• Hong Kong Science & Technology Parks
• Kowloon-Canton Railway Corporation
• The Chinese University of Hong Kong
• Education and Manpower Bureau
• Liaison Committee of Tai Po Schools
• Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital
• Tai Po Hospital
• Department of Health
• Occupational Safety and Health
• Hong Kong Red Cross
• United Christian Nethersole Community Health Service
• The Salvation Army

For further information contact:

Dr. Augustine Lam
(Tai Po Safe Community Coordinator)
Cluster Co-ordinator (Community Partnership), NTEC, Hospital Authority
Room 1/2/25 , 1/Fl., Block A, Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital
11 Chuen On Road, Tai Po , N.T.
Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China

Phone: +(852) 2689-2124
Fax: +(852) 2689-2161

E-mail: lamt@ha.org.hk
Web: www.tpshc.org