Replies to LegCo questions

LCQ3: Hygiene standards of toilet paper in public toilets

Following is a question by the Hon Wong Kwok-hing and a reply by the Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today (December 11)

Question:

It has been reported that a media organisation earlier collected samples of toilet paper from public toilets managed by government departments and public organisations for laboratory tests. The test results showed that the bacterial contents of all samples had exceeded the level prescribed in the relevant mainland standards. Given that some doctors have pointed out that the use of toilet paper with bacterial contents exceeding the prescribed level may cause diseases such as cystitis, the aforesaid situation has aroused concern about whether public health is at hazard. Regarding the quality of public hygiene services, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) whether the existing legislation has prescribed any standard on the level of bacterial contents of toilet paper; if so, of the details; if not, whether the authorities will prescribe the relevant standards so as to assess the hygienic level of toilet paper; if they will, when such standards will be implemented; if they will not, of the reasons for that;

(b) whether it regularly collects samples of toilet paper from public toilets managed by government departments and public organisations for tests on bacterial contents; whether it has conducted studies on enhancing the design of public toilets, so as to improve their hygiene conditions; if it has conducted such studies, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; of the authorities' measures to step up publicity and education, to raise public awareness of maintaining the hygiene of public toilets, with a view to reducing the breeding and spreading of bacteria and viruses; and

(c) whether it has stipulated in the contracts for outsourced public toilet cleansing services that contractors are required to provide toilet paper that meets hygiene standards; whether it has issued guidelines to contractors regarding matters such as the storage and delivery of toilet paper; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that; whether the authorities will consider switching to the direct provision by government departments of public hygiene services that are currently outsourced, so as to ensure the quality of services and enhance the protection for the public; if they will, of the details; if they will not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

My reply to the question is as follows:

(a) Under the Consumer Goods Safety Ordinance (the Ordinance) (Cap. 456), "consumer goods" include toilet paper ordinarily sold for private use. The Ordinance stipulates that consumer goods should comply with the "general safety requirement". The circumstances that the Customs and Excise Department (C&ED) as the enforcement agency of the Ordinance would have regard to when considering whether consumer goods comply with the requirement include the safety standards published by a standards institute for consumer goods of the description which applies to the consumer goods concerned. C&ED would also seek expert advice where necessary. For toilet paper, C&ED would arrange product testing with reference to the Mainland's national standard GB20810-2006 (national standard) and consult the Department of Health (DH) for expert advice in determining whether the "general safety requirement" is complied with.

(b) In general, contractors are required to supply clean and hygienic toilet paper under the contracts they enter into with government departments or public organisations. Some contracts require the supply of toilet paper with micro-organism levels conforming to the national standard or its latest edition. If the toilet paper supplied by a contractor is found to be sub-standard, the department concerned will demand replacement provisions that conform with the requirements in the contract. Where appropriate, the department may issue warning to or impose punishment on the contractor.

Individual departments have laid down in the contracts express standards for toilet paper. Where this is the case, inspection officers patrolling public toilets will check whether the toilet paper supplied complies with the standards prescribed in the contracts.

The Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD) monitors closely the quality of service provided by its contractors, and check if they have complied with the requirements in the contract to safeguard public hygiene standards, including those pertaining to toilet paper in public toilets.

FEHD has made continuous efforts to enhance the public toilet facilities under its management in recent years. New standards have been adopted, whenever circumstances permit, when planning new public toilets, reprovisioning or refurbishing existing ones, and converting aqua privies into flushing toilets. The new standards include installation of sensor-type flushing system for water closet cubicles and urinal bowls, and provision of automatic infrared sensor water taps and hand sanitisers to improve the environmental hygiene of public toilets.

Public toilets under FEHD are cleaned two to three times a day depending on the public demand and usage of the toilets. Toilet attendants are deployed in frequently-used public toilets or those located at major tourist areas to ensure that the toilets are clean and hygienic. The public may use the hotline numbers provided on notices posted in the toilets to provide suggestions. Support from civic-minded members of the public is of vital importance in keeping public toilets clean and hygienic. Notices appealing for public assistance in keeping public toilets clean and maintaining personal hygiene are put up in public toilets.

(c) FEHD has stipulated, in the cleansing contracts, that contractors must supply sufficient amount of consumables (including toilet paper in public toilets) throughout the contract period. The contracts also require the contractors to provide inspection officers with samples of the relevant cleansing material for inspection and trial at least two weeks before the delivery of services. The contractors must seek prior approval from the Government's representative for subsequent changes in the type of the material used. Moreover, a contractor must, within two weeks after the commencement of the contract, submit a certificate or report to the representative of the Government at his own expenses to certify that the toilet paper supplied meets the microbiological standards of the national standard or its latest edition. The certificate must be issued by an accredited laboratory. FEHD will closely monitor the performance of contractors, including their compliance with the above requirements, so as to ensure that toilet paper in public toilets meets the hygiene standards.

In response to the recent public concern over toilet paper, the Government Logistics Department (GLD) has provided guidelines to various departments on best practices for storage and delivery of toilet paper. The guidelines set out ways to minimise the contamination of toilet paper by the external environment, such as using unwrapped toilet paper as soon as possible, avoiding excessive storage of toilet paper in the toilet compartments and keeping the paper containers clean. Besides, GLD has advised relevant departments to consider, when signing new contracts with service contractors in future, requesting the contractors to supply toilet paper in individual packing. The departments concerned may also draw up their own requirements and procedures based on their operational needs so as to facilitate compliance by operational staff and service contractors.

FEHD strives to provide efficient and cost-effective services to the public, which includes the provision of various environmental hygiene services through its contractors. FEHD is mindful of the importance of keeping public toilets in a clean and hygienic condition. It deploys staff to inspect public toilets regularly for ensuring that the contractors are providing the cleansing services according to the contract. If a contractor performs below the standard stipulated in the contract, FEHD will take appropriate measures, including giving verbal warnings, written warnings and default notices.

Ends/Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Issued at HKT 14:53

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