The Hong Kong government has demanded that a contractor rectify faulty lifts in a new block at Queen Mary Hospital after multiple glitches delayed the launch of all clinical services at the building. A veteran electrical and building services engineer said it was unusual for 24 out of 28 lifts in a new building to…
The cooling efficiency of 13 air conditioner models bearing Hong Kong’s top energy label can vary by up to 33 per cent, the consumer watchdog has found. The Consumer Council on Thursday released test results for 13 models of 1.5-horsepower inverter split-type air conditioners, finding “substantial differences” in energy-saving performance among units with a Grade…
Hong Kong authorities have urged the public to stop using a certain model of Zwilling electric kettle over concerns that the handle may detach, posing a risk of scalding. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department on Thursday issued a safety recall for the kettle (model 53005). Consumers should contact the supplier, Cheong Hing (1917) Company…
A technical fault in the interconnection between Hong Kong’s two power providers caused a brief voltage dip on Thursday, resulting in around 90 reports of people trapped in lifts within a 30-minute window. The Fire Services Department said it received about 90 reports of lift entrapments on Hong Kong Island between 9.23am and 9.53am, across…
Hong Kong’s biggest electricity company, CLP Power, has been urged to implement 43 measures to improve the stability of its supply, including enhancing lightning protection systems, after a series of failures. The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department released a review report on CLP on Friday, following an independent consultant’s analysis – under the supervision of…
A former Hong Kong government engineer was jailed for five years and three months on Tuesday for laundering HK$6.26 million (US$804,000) in illegal proceeds, having lived far beyond his legitimate income. The High Court heard that 60-year-old Zsa Sing-tak had also accepted a HK$40,000 bribe to favour engineering firms linked to a friend during tendering…
Few Hongkongers have the vaguest idea of the scale of government procurement, even though it is everywhere around us. The Government Transparency Institute, which tries to monitor government procurement worldwide, estimates it accounts for around 30 per cent of government spending. Worldwide, public procurement shares at least three characteristics. First, it is a colossal business…
A burst pipe in Hong Kong’s North Point on the weekend cut off the water supply to about 2,600 residents and left 130 households without electricity on Monday, prompting authorities to carry out emergency repairs. The Home Affairs Department said the Water Supplies Department completed repairs on the water pipe early in the morning and…
Hong Kong’s rail giant the MTR Corporation has suspended foundation works for the overhead cable at its Oyster Bay station project on Lantau Island due to signs of “upheaving”. The government said on Thursday that movement was recorded at the site two days earlier, prompting staff from the Buildings Department and the Electrical and Mechanical…
Hot-air balloons in the shapes of animals such as a panda, dinosaur and rabbit will fly against the Hong Kong skyline as part of a coming four-day megafestival in September, along with nightly concerts starring Cantopop singers such as Joey Yung Cho-yee and Leo Ku Kui-kei. The organiser said on Monday that it expected the…