Since its establishment in 1988, the Occupational Safety and Health Council has striven to foster a safe and healthy working environment in Hong Kong by maintaining a close partnership with employers, employees, professional bodies, academics and the Government through training, promotion, consultancy, information services and research.

The council operates two training centres, one in North Point and another in Kwun Tong, offering classroom training and practical sessions on gas welding, forklift truck operation, working in confined spaces and working at height. A total of 29 700 people attended 1 360 training courses organised by the council in 2005. In response to Hong Kong's changing economy, not only did the council organise new training courses for targeted industries, it also organised programmes under the Skills Upgrading Scheme steered by the Education and Manpower Bureau to enhance the overall competence and skill level of the local workforce. Under the scheme, the council identified the property management industry as a starting point. Three training courses on fire prevention, emergency preparedness and occupational safety and health were conducted for workers in this industry. In addition, courses tailor-made for employees of the gardening trade were also organised. Training programmes on occupational safety and health were also made available to ethnic minority groups.

It is widely recognised that the insurance industry plays a key role in motivating employers and businesses to raise their occupational safety and health level. In 2005, the council entered into a partnership scheme with the Hong Kong Federation of Insurers to take a proactive approach to cultivating good occupational safety and health practices in high-risk industries. The first joint project, the Good Housekeeping Workplace Management Programme, targeted the catering industry.

The council also enhanced its support for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in 2005 by launching the Sponsorship Scheme for SMEs to Improve Safety on Truss-out Scaffolds in collaboration with the Labour Department. In addition, it provided SMEs with a consultancy service on repair and maintenance safety plus financial and technical assistance.

In support of the International Labour Organisation's World Day for Safety and Health at Work, the council and the Labour Department jointly organised a series of campaigns, including an occupational safety and health forum. Speakers from Canada, Israel and Hong Kong were invited to this forum to share their experience on the prevention of occupational injury and illness and rehabilitation with local employers and employees.

As an affiliate safe community support centre of the World Health Organisation (WHO), the council continues to promote safety and health at district and community levels. The first China-Hong Kong Safe and Healthy Community Network was set up to exchange information between Hong Kong and neighbouring regions on the Mainland. Tai Po was accredited and designated by WHO as a safe community in October 2005, following Tuen Mun and Kwai Chung.