The Housing Bureau has ordered a construction firm to immediately stop external renovation works at Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po after finding plastic panels covering windows, similar to those used by the same contractor at the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire site.
The No.5-alarm fire in Tai Po, which killed at least 146 people, involved the contractor Grand Industries Construction Engineering Company Limited using large quantities of foam boards to cover windows, a practice criticized for severe deficiencies in site safety management. The Housing Bureau has issued an order under the Buildings Ordinance for the contractor to immediately suspend all external wall maintenance works.
During special inspection operations, the bureau's Independent Scrutiny Unit found plastic sheeting covering windows during maintenance works at Yee Kok Court in Sham Shui Po. The unit immediately demanded the registered contractor remove the plastic panels and will seek legal advice regarding potential prosecution.
Safety Audit, Labour Department Inspections
The Scrutiny Unit also ordered a temporary halt to the Yee Kok Court project. It required the contractor to conduct an independent safety audit to review its safety management system, submit an improvement plan based on the audit results, and fully implement corrective measures. The bureau will only consider allowing the contractor to resume work after reviewing and being satisfied that an effective safety management system is in place.
The Buildings Department continues its special inspection actions. As of today, officers have inspected 319 buildings undergoing external wall maintenance and taken samples of scaffolding nets for testing. Apart from two buildings where plastic panels were previously discovered and are being removed as instructed by the government, the department has not found any further buildings with foam or plastic panels covering windows.
The Labour Department launched a citywide special enforcement campaign on November 28 to inspect fire safety facilities and emergency arrangements at building maintenance sites with large-scale scaffolding, and to check the required flame-retardant standards of protective screens (commonly known as "scaffolding nets") to enhance occupational safety for workers.
As of today, the Labour Department has inspected 51 construction sites, issuing 45 written warnings and 12 improvement notices, and has initiated two prosecutions.
