The Legislative Council Panel on Development will hold a special meeting on Friday to hear the government’s investigation findings on lift engineering problems at the new clinical building of Queen Mary Hospital and the follow-up work.
A document submitted to the LegCo by the Development Bureau said all 28 lifts had experienced problems of varying severity. The investigation identified several causes of the frequent breakdowns, including deviations in the dimensions and verticality of the lift shaft walls, misalignment of the guide rails between floors, imbalances in the lifts’ centers of gravity, which caused the cars to tilt, and substandard installation work.
Based on the findings, the Bureau will pursue further disciplinary action against the contractors, subcontractors, and consultants involved. As the investigation also uncovered possible unlawful conduct, the Bureau has referred the case to the relevant law enforcement agencies for further investigation.
The Bureau said the problems should have been identified and corrected early under the existing monitoring system. However, they did not receive adequate attention or timely follow-up during construction. It noted that the main contractor, Able Engineering, committed multiple errors, including inaccurate construction work, poor workmanship, inadequate follow-up, omissions in preparing and approving the “Inspection, Test and Approval Plan” (ITAP), and insufficient supervision and acceptance checks.
It also criticized the project team at the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD) for failing to follow internal guidelines rigorously. In January last year, the team did not cross-check the Essential Project Items Checklist and issued a completion certificate even though some lifts had not yet received operating permits.
The Bureau also said the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department’s acceptance process relied too heavily on certifications by non-government professionals and did not include spot checks.
It stated that both the problems with the newly installed lifts at Queen Mary Hospital and an earlier incident involving missing door frames point to deficiencies in the EMSD’s system for issuing lift operating permits. It said the department should conduct a comprehensive review of its procedures and reform the permit-issuance process.
The investigation found that ArchSD personnel had shortcomings of varying degrees in their handling of the case. The bureau has asked the Director of Architectural Services to take appropriate action against the staff involved in accordance with the Civil Service Code. The director is consulting the Civil Service Bureau about arrangements for initiating disciplinary procedures.
Regarding the EMSD, the Development Bureau said the personnel involved had followed the relevant ordinances and procedures when handling operating permits, with no obvious dereliction of duty. However, some had failed to investigate and follow up thoroughly on cases of noncompliance.
After preliminary consultation with the Civil Service Bureau, the bureau said the EMSD should issue advisory letters to the relevant personnel to encourage improvement and reflect the matter appropriately in their appraisal reports.
