HK continues safety checks on buildings under maintenance

In an ongoing push to enhance construction safety standards in the wake of the recent Tai Po fire, which claimed at least 159 lives, a number of Hong Kong SAR government departments have intensified regulatory inspections and enforcement measures related to buildings maintenance and construction sites.

As of Thursday, the Independent Checking Unit of the Housing Bureau had visited four Home Ownership Scheme courts — Sui Wo Court in Sha Tin, Ching Lai Court and Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po, and On Kay Court in Kwun Tong — as well as Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan, under the Tenants Purchase Scheme, to oversee contractors' compliance with an order to remove exterior protective netting from buildings undergoing major maintenance.

This follows a directive from the Development Bureau for the removal of all nets by Saturday. The Housing Department reported on Thursday that it had completed the removal of netting across 15 public housing estates.

Meanwhile, the Buildings Department has collected netting samples from 400 private buildings engaged in major external wall repairs and has dispatched them for analysis. The Architectural Services Department has inspected all 18 of its active public works projects and gathered samples of netting for testing.

Separately, the Labour Department has inspected the fire protection facilities and fire emergency preparedness at 239 construction sites, issued a total of 130 written warnings and 61 improvement notices, and initiated 17 prosecutions.