Drainage Services Department - Sustainability Report 2014-15

Governance Structure / Management Approach

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Sub-sections in Governance Structure

[Vision, Mission and Values] [Governance Structure] [Management Approach]

Good corporate governance is the bedrock for the sustainable development of DSD. Our governance and development approach shall be in line with the public interest and the Government’s policy objectives. In response to the public’s concern about sustainability, we are taking proactive steps to invite their opinions and incorporate the relevant elements into DSD’s governance and development strategy.

Management Approach

International standards and relevant management systems are actively introduced in DSD’s operations, where applicable, to integrate new elements into our management, while systematically and continuously enhancing our sustainability performance.

Integrated Management System

In 2002, DSD began building and implementing management systems in line with international standards. The integrated management systems implemented by DSD to date include quality management, environmental management and occupational health and safety management systems. Through adopting the “Plan-Do-Check-Act” approach advocated by the management systems, we review risks associated with our daily operation and projects on a regular basis, and manage them by applying the appropriate preventive or mitigating measures.

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Energy Management

The Electrical and Mechanical Branch has adopted the ISO 50001 Energy Management System standards since 2013 with a view to boosting energy efficiency and mitigate the impact of climate change. As a pilot project, an energy management system was implemented at the Yuen Long Sewage Treatment Works (STW). The system passed the certification audit in June 2014, marking the first time the Department received the ISO 50001 Energy Management System accreditation.

Asset Management

We have long been striving to optimise our asset management in order to operate our facilities reliably and efficiently. The recent increase in frequency of extreme weather events brought about by accelerated climate change has also posed more challenges to our design and management of drainage facilities. Since 2013, the Department has commenced the staged implementation of the Asset Management System (AMS) to better manage our facilities. A number of major pumping stations and STWs operated by DSD passed the certification audit for ISO 55001 AMS standard in May 2014, making us one of the first government departments to obtain such certification.

During the certification process, the Electrical and Mechanical Branch has established a representative AMS for each major sewage treatment facility. As stipulated by departmental goals, application of similar AMSs will be extended to the remaining 300-plus drainage facilities under DSD in phases before 2019.

DSD facilities that have obtained ISO 55001 AMS standard certification include:

Ho Pong Street and Hung Hom Bay Sewage Pumping Stations;
Sha Tau Kok, Sai Kung, Sham Tseng and Siu Ho Wan STWs;
Shek O and To Kwa Wan Preliminary Treatment Works; and
Stonecutters Island Sewage Treatment Works Main Pumping Station.

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DSD was presented with ISO 55001 AMS certificates

Stakeholder Engagement

DSD’s work must be built on the needs of the general public and stakeholders if we are to put our sustainability strategies into practice. We have thus established a wide range of ongoing communication channels to ensure close connection with stakeholders. The main stakeholder groups include DSD staff, professional institutions, academia, green groups, media, and consultants and contractors. For details, please refer to Chapter 7: Stakeholder Engagement Activities.

Engagement Activities

Stakeholders1	Stakeholder communication channels/means of interaction2	Issues of concern3
DSD staff	Employee incentive scheme Employee recommendation scheme Goodwill visits by DSD management Consultative committees and discussion groups across DSD	Employee benefits Employee training opportunities
General public	Customer satisfaction surveys on clearance of drainage blockage Questionnaire survey of inquiries regarding sewage charges via fax, e-mail and telephone Visits to DSD facilities and construction sites General queries through fax, e-mail and telephone	Impact of drainage works on residents Operational efficiency Flood control performance
Consultants and contractors	Site visits Experience sharing sessions Construction Sites Housekeeping Award Scheme	Occupational safety and health Construction requirements and trends for project Environmental performance of projects
Academia	Outreach activities Visits to DSD facilities and construction sites Research and Development Forum	Engineering technology Environmental performance of drainage facilities
Green groups	Meetings with environmental groups Site visits to river channels	Ecological conservation Energy consumption and carbon emissions Green design elements in drainage works Construction progress of green roofs
Professional institutions	DSD International Conference Research and development forum	Engineering technology Asset management
Media	Media briefings General enquiries via fax, e-mail and telephone	Progress of engineering works

[1] G4-24
[2] G4-26
[3] G4-27

To help stakeholders understand our sustainability policies and performance, DSD’s sustainability report has become an important communication tool since 2012-13. In an effort to better address stakeholders’ key concerns, we will engage different stakeholder groups in various ways to better understand their expectations on our work in sustainable development when compiling the Sustainability Report. This year, we strengthened our ties with academia and green groups by collecting and analysing their views through focus group meetings and surveys. Stakeholders’ views help us identify the material aspects and boundaries to be covered in this Report. For details, please refer to Chapter 2: About this Report.

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