HK mandates stricter measures to ensure scaffolding mesh safety

All building contractors in Hong Kong must submit certificates and test results verifying the fire-retardant performance of any scaffolding mesh used on their sites, Hong Kong's development chief announced on Thursday.

The test results should be issued by government-designated centers in Hong Kong, and authorities will randomly collect samples of in-use netting for review, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said at a news conference on Thursday.

Since the deadly blaze at Tai Po's Wang Fuk Court last month, the city's construction issues, especially the safety of scaffolding mesh that usually surrounds buildings during construction or renovation works, have created wide concern.

A citywide removal order of scaffolding mesh was issued on Dec 3, and completed on Saturday, involving 252 private and public projects undergoing maintenance.

Linn said the Development Bureau and the Buildings Department have been proactively formulating guidelines for the sampling inspection of scaffolding mesh.

Contractors must provide certificates of the nets' flame-retardant efficacy and test documents.

The scaffolding meshes must be sampled in a government-prescribed manner upon arrival, with the entire process video recorded, before being submitted to a government laboratory for analysis. Only upon passing these inspections may the netting be used.

The supervisory departments will conduct random sample testing, Linn said, adding that the procedure is applicable to both new construction and maintenance projects.

The special administrative region government is looking for additional testing centers to cater the testing needs and aims to announce a list by next week, Linn said. The testing results are aimed to be available within one week after the samples are delivered to the testing centers, she added.

As the market demand for scaffolding mesh and their testing may spike in the short term, and given that the industry requires time to learn and adapt, the authority has invited the Construction Industry Council (CIC) to offer support, including collective procurement and the coordination of the testing services. The objective is that the first batch of imported scaffolding mesh is available to use after around one month, Linn said.

The CIC will expand the quota of the current Multi-skilled/Skill Enhancement courses, and has set aside 5,000 training quotas for construction workers whose jobs will be suspended because of the new requirement. Workers who complete the training and obtain qualifications can receive a maximum subsidy of HK$14,000 ($1,800) to HK$19,000.

As for some contractors facing cash flow issues, corresponding assistance will be provided, Linn added.

CIC Executive Director Albert Cheng Ting-ning said he hopes that collective procurement can ensure a stable supply and reasonable pricing.

He said that the council has started to contact suppliers and will establish a traceability system with source tracking labels to document the scaffolding meshes' journeys from manufacturers to construction sites.

Meanwhile, the Fire Services Department on Thursday posthumously conferred the honorary title of senior fireman to late firefighter Ho Wai-ho in recognition of his exemplary service and selfless dedication to duty. Ho died while fighting the Tai Po inferno.

A funeral with full honors for Ho will be held at the Universal Funeral Parlour in Hung Hom, Kowloon, on Dec 19.

The blaze, which broke out at Wang Fuk Court on Nov 26, has killed at least 160 people as of Thursday, and seven out of the eight blocks in the court are damaged. Six people are still missing, and all of those injured are now in stable condition.