Labour Department launches special enforcement operation targeting fire safety in construction sites
The Labour Department (LD)'s spokesman today (November 27) said that the department is highly concerned about the No. 5 alarm fire at Wang Fuk Court, Tai Po, yesterday (November 26). The LD is saddened that the fire has caused multiple casualties and expresses its deepest sympathies to the victims' families and the injured persons.
The LD will launch a two-week territory-wide special enforcement operation tomorrow, targeting the fire protection facilities and fire emergency preparedness of building maintenance work sites with large-scale scaffolding erected. This includes checking if protective screens (also known as scaffold nets) are in compliance with recognised standards for fire-retardant materials to ensure work safety. Meanwhile, the LD will also work with the Buildings Department to inspect buildings undergoing major external wall repairs with large-scale bamboo scaffolds erected so as to ensure that scaffold nets installed on the scaffolds comply with the requirements of relevant Code of Practice/Guidance Notes.
If any violations of the legislation are detected during the inspection exercise, occupational safety officers of the LD will take rigorous enforcement actions, including issuing suspension notices and improvement notices, and taking out prosecutions without prior warning, in order to deter unsafe operations.
Due to the recent dry weather, the LD strongly urges and warns all contractors that they should take notice of the fire risk of the site, particularly the need to enhance the fire safety of the bamboo scaffold, to ensure relevant materials are in compliance with the fire safety standards and clear up the debris regularly; smoking at site areas is strictly prohibited. While conducting hot work processes (such as welding and flame-cutting which may produce sparks), the safety measures devised from relevant risk assessment should be strictly followed, and sufficient and effective firefighting equipment should be in place. Contractors should further step up fire safety management to prevent fire incidents, ensure the safety of construction sites and workers and avoid recurrence of yesterday's tragic fire in Tai Po .
The LD also appeals to employers to be considerate to employees who are unable to work as usual due to the impact of the Tai Po fire, and to provide flexible work arrangements wherever possible to help them through this difficult period. Employers and employees may call the dedicated hotline 2929 4054 in case of enquiries on employment-related matters.
The Labour Department
Re-launch of Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works in New Territories Exempted Houses
Following the direction of earlier proposals, the Buildings Department (BD) announced today (April 1) the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme for Unauthorised Building Works (UBWs) in New Territories Exempted Houses (NTEHs). The reporting period will last for one year from April 1, 2026 to March 31, 2027.
"In view of the history and unique circumstances of the NTEHs (commonly known as village houses), the Government launched a one-off administrative reporting scheme in 2012 as a special arrangement. Under the scheme, owners could report to the BD about UBWs that were erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law. The reporting period ended in December 2012. The Development Bureau (DEVB) put forward proposals to amend the Buildings Ordinance in December 2024, which included rationalising the policy for handling UBWs. The DEVB also pointed out that in response to the views of villagers and Legislative Council members that the reporting period was too short, the Government prepared to re-launch the Reporting Scheme to allow owners who at that time did not report their UBWs to do so," a spokesman for the BD said.
Relevant stakeholders and Legislative Council members generally considered the above proposals practical and feasible, and they welcomed the proposals. The DEVB and the BD have also consulted Heung Yee Kuk on the relevant implementation arrangements.
The re-launched Reporting Scheme will maintain the original criteria, including:
(1) The types of UBWs that can be reported and their erection dates are the same as the original Reporting Scheme, meaning that only UBWs erected before June 28, 2011, posed lower risks or constituted less serious contravention of the law and were not the First Round Targets (Note) are eligible. Examples include signboards projecting from the external walls of village houses; enclosed rooftop structures with a coverage of not more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area of the main building.
(2) Same as the original Reporting Scheme, owners are required to conduct safety inspections on the reported UBWs every five years.
"The BD will not require the immediate removal of the reported UBWs unless their structures become obviously dangerous. Regarding UBWs in village houses, the BD is prioritising the handling of First Round Targets. If any relevant UBWs remain not reported after the application deadline of March 31, 2027, the BD will, after dealing with the First Round Targets, take priority enforcement action against the non-reported UBWs. The BD will formulate enforcement strategy for the reported UBWs at a later stage in accordance with the risks and the actual situation," the spokesman added.
To enhance the efficiency of processing applications, reports must be submitted via the electronic platform on the BD's website by technically competent persons or registered professional engineers appointed by owners. In accordance with the user-pays principle, an administrative fee of $600 is payable for each application. Upon successful reports, owners must also pay the relevant administrative fee when conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years.
Details of the re-launched Reporting Scheme are available on the BD's website at https://www.bd.gov.hk/en/safety-inspection/ubw/UBW-in-new-territories-exempted-houses/index_relaunch_reporting_scheme.html; Villagers who wish to report can call 2626 1616 for enquiry. The BD will also use different channels such as distributing leaflets and posters to Rural Committees to enable villagers to know more about the re-launch of the Reporting Scheme.
Owners who had successfully participated in the Reporting Scheme in 2012 are not required to submit reports again. However, they must continue to comply with the requirements of the original Reporting Scheme, including conducting safety inspections of the reported UBWs every five years, submitting safety certificates and paying administrative fees to the BD.
Note: The First Round Targets refer to UBWs with higher potential risks and more serious nature, such as village houses of four storeys or more, and enclosed rooftop structures covering more than 50 per cent of the roofed-over area.
Source: AI-found images
