Fire Breaks Out at I.PARK1 Waste Facility: Staff Safely Evacuated, Operations Temporarily Suspended

Follow-up on fire on artificial island off Shek Kwu Chau

A fire broke out at the Integrated Waste Management Facilities Phase 1 (I.PARK1) located on an artificial island off Shek Kwu Chau at 12.40pm today (October 26). In the incident, a staff felt unwell and was sent to the hospital. All construction workers and operational staff were evacuated smoothly. I.PARK1 has temporarily suspended waste reception.

Photo source: online image

Preliminary information indicated that the fire originated at the roof of the main incinerator building's third incineration module area. After the fire broke out, the contractor of the facility took immediate actions according to its emergency response protocol, including reporting to the Fire Services Department (FSD), deploying trained designated response members to control the fire, evacuating about 970 construction workers and operational staff working on the island in an orderly manner, and suspending the operation of all critical systems of the facility.

Photo source: online image

The fire was largely put out at about 4.45pm by firefighters on scene. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. The Environmental Protection Department (EPD) has instructed the contractor to submit a report on the fire incident within seven days and will work with the FSD to investigate the cause of fire. The EPD will also evaluate the damage and urge the contractor to conduct repairs as soon as possible.

The Environmental Protection Department. Photo source: reference image

The EPD is reviewing the impact of the fire on the facility's operation and will maintain close communication with the industry on the operational arrangements. Meanwhile, the EPD has arranged to extend the operating hours of the Department's West New Territories Landfill Extension to maintain the normal operation of the city's overall waste management system.

Two employers sanctioned for violating requirements under Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme

The Labour Department (LD) today (October 27) announced the imposition of an administrative sanction on Pionier Laundry Limited and Coucou (HK) Catering Management Company Limited. With immediate effect, the LD has terminated the processing of the applications for importing labour previously submitted by the above companies under the Enhanced Supplementary Labour Scheme (ESLS). In parallel, the LD will, from today, refuse to process any applications submitted by the above companies under the ESLS for a period of one year.

A spokesman for the LD said, "Upon investigation, it was established that the above companies had breached the requirements under the ESLS after importing labour under the ESLS. An administrative sanction is thus imposed for the following reasons:

(i) providing the LD with false information on the number of full-time local employees; and

(ii) failing to fulfil the 2:1 manning ratio of full-time local employees to imported workers continuously."

The spokesman stressed, "Employers applying for the importation of workers under the ESLS should strictly comply with the scheme requirements, including according priority to employing suitable local workers. The ESLS stipulates that if an employer violates labour or immigration laws, the requirements of the ESLS, or the Standard Employment Contract, the LD will impose an administrative sanction on the employer. Such sanctions may include terminating the processing of submitted applications of the employer, withdrawing approvals for the importation of workers previously granted, and refusing to process any subsequent applications submitted by the employer."

The Labour Department. Photo source: reference image