Repair works: HK expects new code of practice next week

The Buildings Department of Hong Kong aims to issue a new code of practice on building repair works next week, requiring all scaffold net materials to be sampled on site, in light of an investigation into the deadly Tai Po fire.

The scaffold nets can only be installed after being certified by designated laboratories as compliant with relevant requirements, said the department.

The move comes following last week's fatal fire that tore through seven of the eight buildings of Wang Fuk Court, leaving at least 159 people dead. Preliminary investigations suggest that substandard protective mesh netting around the buildings may have contributed to the fire's rapid spread.

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The BD has taken samples from 398 private buildings with scaffold nets installed and sent them for testing in batches, as of Wednesday.

Apart from the two buildings where plastic sheeting was found blocking the windows, which have already been removed, the department did not find other buildings that used foam boards or plastic sheeting to block windows.

Government departments responsible for inspections of relevant projects will promptly contact the relevant contractors, instructing them to complete the removal before Saturday.

For individual cases where removal cannot be completed within that timeframe, the responsible party must notify the relevant department in advance, which will assess whether there are reasonable grounds for discretionary arrangements, said the government.

The Labour Department has inspected 175 construction sites, issued 92 written warnings and 49 improvement notices, and has taken out 13 prosecutions, as at 4 pm Wednesday.

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The Architectural Services Department has inspected all 18 of its public works building projects and collected samples for testing.

The Independent Checking Unit (ICU) of the Housing Bureau separately deployed a dedicated team to Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan under the Tenants Purchase Scheme and Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po under the Home Ownership Scheme (HOS) on Wednesday to collect samples of the protective nets on site.

The registered contractors of the four HOS courts – Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court in Sham Shui Po, Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, and On Kay Court in Kwun Tong – have been dismantling the protective nets in the respective HOS courts.

The contractor of Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan also started removing the protective nets.

On public housing estates, currently 15 housing estates are conducting maintenance works in relatively larger and localized areas with protective nets. The removal of all the protective nets will take place and is expected to be completed by Thursday.