Hong Kong’s Fire Services Department has launched an internal review to improve its strategies for tackling large-scale blazes following the deadly Wang Fuk Court inferno, with officers set to examine operational effectiveness and equipment use. Director of Fire Services Andy Yeung Yan-kin said on Tuesday that his deputy for operations, Derek Armstrong Chan, would lead…
Hong Kong’s construction watchdog should help small firms procure approved scaffolding nets at a lower cost, a leading contractor has said after inspectors found two sites using plastic meshes that failed security tests. Lawrence Ng San-wa, permanent honorary president of the Hong Kong Construction Sub‑contractors Association, said on Monday that the industry was concerned about…
A group of construction workers have staged a demonstration at an upscale residential estate undergoing renovation in Hong Kong to demand that the contractor involved in the deadly Tai Po fire settle their unpaid wages, with two climbing up the erected scaffolding as part of the protest. About 15 workers on Wednesday held banners and…
A Hong Kong court has ordered the buildings authorities to reconsider the licence renewal application of a construction company linked to five workplace deaths across three accidents, ruling that officials failed to provide adequate reasons for their refusal. The High Court’s Madam Justice Yvonne Cheng Wai-sum ruled in favour of Aggressive Construction on Wednesday, although…
Hong Kong’s new Legislative Council held its first meeting on Wednesday, with lawmakers focusing on follow-up work after last November’s deadly fire at Wang Fuk Court in Tai Po, which claimed the lives of 161 people and displaced nearly 5,000 residents. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu and government officials outlined priorities including rehousing the displaced…
Hong Kong’s newly elected lawmakers, many of them fresh faces on the political scene, held their first meeting on Wednesday, with officials pledging to address policy gaps exposed by the deadly Tai Po inferno, from tightening oversight of maintenance project tenders and raising homeowner voting thresholds to imposing a smoking ban at construction sites. Wednesday…
Three homeowners at Hong Kong’s Redhill Peninsula have received fines totalling HK$275,000 (US$35,270) for their involvement in illegal building works. The Buildings Department said on Monday that the fines were handed down by Eastern Court last Thursday after the owners of three detached houses in the affluent neighbourhood pleaded guilty to carrying out unauthorised building…
Owners of a private housing estate in Tuen Mun have voted overwhelmingly to terminate their renovation contract with Prestige Construction and Engineering Company – the same contractor responsible for works at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court, in the aftermath of the deadly blaze At a general meeting held on Friday night at Elegance Gardens, 96.45…
Strengthening risk oversight in major maintenance projects in the wake of the deadly Tai Po fire is a top priority for Hong Kong lawmaker Julia Lau Man-kwan, who represents the architectural, surveying, planning and landscape sector. In an interview with the Post, Lau, who is also president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architects, pledged…
There are matters we need to sort out quickly arising from the Tai Po fire tragedy but also systemic issues that need to be tackled if we are to avoid a repeat of the disaster. The fact is that Hong Kong faces two sorts of ageing problems: old buildings and the old people who live…