HONG KONG/SINGAPORE/BEIJING: Homeowners at the complex destroyed in one of Hong Kong’s deadliest fires were incorrectly told that the contractor blamed for the blaze had a clean safety record, documents viewed by Reuters show.
Residents were given the assurances by Will Power Architects, which was retained by their homeowners’ corporation to evaluate bids for a renovation contract, according to a PowerPoint presentation created by the consultant.
In fact, the contractor, Prestige Construction & Engineering Co, had been penalised by the city’s safety regulator more than a dozen times in the seven years before it was hired by the corporation to renovate the complex, according to the agency’s records, including for improperly installing scaffolding and faulty electrical connections.
The fines were issued for violations of an industrial-safety ordinance between 2016 and 2019, according to Labour Department records. Offences under the code are typically prosecuted in a magistrate’s court.
This account of how Prestige won a HK$330 million (US$42.4 million) renovation contract on Will Power’s recommendation, as well as the cascade of concerns about spiralling costs and fire hazards that followed, is based on interviews with two dozen people and a review of construction and regulatory records.
Residents, including some with experience in construction, repeatedly complained about workers smoking on-site and Prestige’s use of flammable material in places like the scaffolding. They also made an aborted effort to revoke the firm’s contract.
Reuters could not determine why Will Power wrote in the undated presentation created for the homeowners’ corporation that Prestige had “no record of being prosecuted by the Labour Department”. The news agency also could not establish whether the contractor disclosed the violations to Will Power or if it contested the penalties, though the records are only published online after any appeal has been exhausted.
Will Power and Prestige did not respond to calls and letters left at their shuttered offices seeking comment. Reuters could not establish if the firms had retained lawyers or ascertain their response to the investigations, as no legal filings have been made.
Consultants are responsible for reviewing contractors’ bids, while contractors are required to not misrepresent or omit their safety record if asked, two construction industry experts told Reuters.
The work of the two firms is now subject to manslaughter and corruption investigations after the Nov 26 blaze at Wang Fuk Court, which has claimed at least 159 lives and is the city’s deadliest since 1948.
Authorities say parts of the mesh used by Prestige on the building scaffolding to catch debris did not meet fire-safety standards and foam boards used to protect windows during renovation were highly flammable.
The Labour Department acknowledges that it told residents who had raised concerns before the blaze that the mesh was certified as safe.
Hong Kong’s deputy leader told reporters on Monday that contractors attempted to “fool” inspectors by mixing substandard material with high-quality mesh.
At least three people in charge of Prestige and four people from Will Power have been arrested in the investigations. Authorities have made more arrests as part of the probes, though the total number of people in custody is unclear and no charges have been announced. Law enforcement has not named the arrested people, as is customary in Hong Kong.
Wang Fuk Court consisted of eight government-subsidised housing towers built near a pier and industrial estate in northern Hong Kong. Its roughly 2,000 units – none larger than 46 square metres – were owned by many blue-collar workers and senior citizens.
Hong Kong Police and the Labour Department, which enforces safety standards at industrial sites, did not respond to questions about their investigations and Prestige’s safety record.
The labour agency told Reuters last week that it had informed homeowners last year that they faced “relatively low fire risks” after receiving repeated complaints about fire hazards, including the renovation mesh. However, it said that this did not mean the agency had ignored the risks, stressing that it had reminded Prestige to implement fire-prevention measures.
The Buildings Department, which sets guidelines on construction materials but is separate from the labour agency, referred Reuters to two documents it had sent to construction firms in October and November. The notices urged them to “take prompt action” in ensuring that construction materials like the mesh netting met fire-safety standards, but did not specifically reference foam boards.
Messages sent by Reuters to an adviser of the former leadership of the corporation seeking comment went unanswered.
https://www.channelnewsasia.com/east-asia/hong-kong-fire-contractor-safety-record-5565296
