Occupational Health and Safety ("OHS")

Our Zero Harm Commitment

Zero Harm is a Company-wide commitment to eliminate or mitigate health and safety hazards across our operations, encompassing all our people, regardless of their seniority or level of experience. It means no fatalities, no injuries and no harm to both physical and mental wellbeing as a result of our business activities.

To achieve Zero Harm requires an elevated level of commitment by everyone to go beyond compliance and instead proactively work on an ongoing basis to introduce best practice OHS solutions to maintain a safe and harm-free environment for all our stakeholders.

2023-2025 Health and Safety Roadmap

In 2023, we launched the companywide 2023-2025 Health and Safety Roadmap to further reinforce our commitment to our Zero Harm Commitment by clearly defining the priorities, approach and deliverables on OHS for the next three years. The four core elements of the roadmap are:

Design for Safety – Aiming to remove hazards from the workplace at the planning and design stages of projects via a structured, multi-disciplined and collaborative approach to OHS and maintainability considerations. This approach was included in the Company’s Development Charter.
Deep Dive Safety Inspection Programme – Inspecting 110 buildings and facilities across the Company to identify and remove or mitigate potential fatal and serious hazards. Over 60 inspections were conducted in 2023, covering properties and hotel facilities in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland.
Life Saving Rules Campaign – A programme delivered to front-line teams in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. The campaign focused on raising awareness and preventative actions to be taken in relation to potentially fatal hazards associated with their activities.
High Potential Near-Miss – Investigations were introduced to identify the contributing factors and root causes of serious near-miss incidents with the aim of preventing recurrence via corrective actions and lesson sharing.

Support for the roadmap across all levels of the company created significant progress on implementation and adoption. All four elements of the roadmap have been fully implemented, with the pace of adoption, number of inspections, education and removal of hazards from the workplace all exceeding scheduled timelines.

Safety Management Systems

HKEX KPI B6.4

Swire Properties’ Safety Management System (“SMS”) is certified to the ISO 45001:2018 standard, the international standard for Occupational Health and Safety Management. In 2023, approximately 89% of our assets⁶ in Hong Kong and Chinese Mainland portfolios conformed to the ISO 45001 systems. Our residential portfolio was certified and operates with an ISO 45001:2018-certified SMS. Our hotels and Brickell City Centre at Miami operate with SMSs that are aligned with the principles of ISO 45001:2018.

In 2023, we developed pragmatic strategies to further enhance our OHS commitments across all operations. This was made possible through strong leadership and management endorsement and oversight. OHS issues and performance are standard agenda items that are presented and discussed at monthly Executive Committee meetings chaired by the Chief Executive, reported in quarterly board papers and reviewed at every board meeting. The Chief Executive is accountable for OHS matters and oversees their implementation. OHS performance indicators and initiatives are also presented to our parent company, Swire Pacific, on a quarterly basis.

⁶	Calculated based on percentage of employees.

Design for Safety

Introduced in 2023, our new Design for Safety (“DFS”) programme focuses on integrating safety considerations into the planning and design phases of construction projects. Its primary objective is to proactively identify and address potential safety hazards and risks early in the project lifecycle and remove them before they are introduced to the work environment.

With an emphasis on safe construction, constructability and maintainability, DFS is a collaboration among various stakeholders – architects, engineers, contractors, safety professionals, and technical teams. By incorporating safety principles and best practices into the design process, DFS creates safer working environments and reduces the likelihood of accidents, injuries and property damage during construction and operational phases. It is a cost-effective means to eliminate hazards across the project lifecycle.

DFS is incorporated into the Company’s Development Charter and is being implemented on major new projects including Taikoo Li Xi’an, a project development in Sanya in the Chinese Mainland and a residential development project in Wan Chai, Hong Kong. DFS principles are also being adopted on other construction stage projects as well as on major alteration and renovation projects in existing properties.

Deep Dive Inspection Programme

The Deep Dive Inspection Programme proactively identifies and mitigates potential serious hazards for our staff and contractors across our properties while fostering awareness and promoting collaboration between stakeholders. Launched in February 2023, this comprehensive 18-month programme covers a total of 110 buildings and construction sites, encompassing both pre- and post-operational facilities in Hong Kong, the Chinese Mainland and Jakarta, Indonesia. As at the end of December 2023, 98 deep dive inspections sites and facilities had been inspected, putting the programme ahead of its scheduled timeline. Progress on the resolution of corrective actions has also been successfully implemented with several key safety enhancement projects completed.

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OHS Employee Engagement and Communication

Effective communication and employee engagement are essential elements of our Zero Harm Commitment.

Swire Properties has Safety Management System Steering Committees (“SMSSCs”) in place in Hong Kong and the Chinese Mainland. These are formed by health and safety representatives from each management office. The SMSSCs meet quarterly to monitor and evaluate the Company’s safety performance, risks and progress towards targets. Findings and updates from the SMSSCs are communicated down to the portfolio level through each portfolio’s Health and Safety Working Group and Human Resources Department. Similar health and safety coordination meetings are held with representatives from Swire Hotels and Brickell City Centre in Miami on a quarterly basis. Relevant matters of significance relating to health and safety are regularly reported to the Board.

Health and Safety Strategy Workshop

In 2023, a two-day workshop was organised for in-house OHS professionals from various business units and facility management specialists to share experiences and best practices on how to enhance our H&S capabilities and culture, in order to create even safer workplaces for our colleagues. This year’s workshops were held in Hong Kong in February to develop the 2023-2025 Health and Safety Roadmap, with a follow-up workshop held in November in Guangzhou which also included safety awareness training for colleagues and external contractors.

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Life Saving Rules Campaign Roadshow

The Life Saving Action Campaign roadshow was held across our properties in Hong Kong throughout 2023. The “Make Safety Personal” theme summarised the objectives of increasing individuals’ knowledge of and ability to identify nine key high-risk hazards and the associated preventative safety measures, as well as enhancing overall awareness of workplace health and safety. The campaign included videos, posters and other visuals presented in Putonghua, Cantonese and English. A total of 2,099 frontline staff participated in the campaign.

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Mental Health and Wellbeing

Every office in each of our portfolios recognises the importance of ensuring the wellbeing of employees. As such, each office has created tailored programmes and campaigns which support mental and physical health in different and locally relevant ways.

Swire Properties provides information to employees via the Company’s intranet, covering a range of topics relating to healthy work practices and office safety. We also conduct, on request, assessments of our employees’ workstation ergonomics, screen illumination and visual comfort.

In addition, we provide counselling services and learning opportunities through our Employee Assistance Programme, which offers in-person counselling and 24-hour telephone support from relevant professionals. We also host regular events for our employees, such as luncheons and training sessions, to promote physical, mental and emotional wellness and a better work-life balance.

Mental and Physical Wellbeing at Swire Hotels

Swire Hotels organised several events and training sessions in 2023 to support aspects of our teams’ mental health. A global training session was held on 28 June for 80 leaders and people managers at our hotels and the Central Support Office which emphasised their important role in promoting mental wellness.

Several of these leaders went on to participate in a Mental Health First Aid certification course, becoming “mental health champions” for Swire Hotels. In October, The Upper House held a “Wellness on the Road” fireside chat with a nutritionist and a functional medicine practitioner to help participants find new ways to achieve and maintain optimal health. At EAST Beijing, a schedule of engaging activities was organised for the month, including Chinese fan DIY classes, singing bowl concerts, and mental health-themed board game sessions.

To bring awareness and knowledge to the wider team and ensure the continuation of the programme, Mental Health 101 training courses will be extended to all team members in 2024.

Mental and Physical Wellbeing at Swire Hotels

2023 Health and Safety Performance

Occupational health and safety is an indispensable part of our business and is enshrined in our SD 2030 Strategy. Our Company-wide Zero Harm Commitment seeks to eliminate or mitigate health and safety hazards across our operations, encompassing all our people, regardless of their seniority or level of experience. This year, we maintained a record of zero workplace fatalities and zero serious or life-altering injuries among our employees, and continued to perform well in other health and safety-related metrics.

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Workplace Wellbeing

Swire Properties values our employees and work to improve their health and wellbeing through a wide variety of activities and events held both in and out of the office.

Diversity and Inclusion

Swire Properties is committed to creating an inclusive and supportive working environment for all our employees. Key initiatives: D&I Policy, Flexible Working Policy, Pride Month activities.

Volunteering

Swire Properties' long-running Community Ambassador Programme encourages our employees to contribute their time and skills to social and environmental causes.