Hong Kong – Development Bureau imposed regulating actions on contractor and subcontractor involved in fatal industrial incident at a construction site in Kai Tak

     A spokesman for the Development Bureau (DEVB) said today (May 10) that the Government attached great importance to construction site safety. In response to the fatal industrial incident at the construction site in Kai Tak on May 8, the DEVB, being the party to procure services for public works, has suspended the contractor and subcontractor concerned from tendering for public works contracts pursuant to the regulating regime. 

     The spokesman said that the contractor concerned was under the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works (the List) and the subcontractor concerned was under the List of Approved Suppliers of Materials and Specialist Contractors for Public Works (the Specialist List). The DEVB issued notifications to the contractor and subcontractor concerned today to suspend them from tendering for relevant categories of public works contracts. The contractor and subcontractor concerned have to conduct an independent safety audit to review their safety management system. Taking cognisance of the outcome of the independent safety audit, the contractor and subcontractor are required to submit an improvement action plan and implement improvement measures, with a view to demonstrating that they have an effective safety management system before uplifting of the suspension from tendering can be considered. The suspension from tendering is not only confined to future tender exercises, but is also applicable to tender exercises with procedures initiated but not concluded.

     Relevant government department is investigating this industrial incident and will handle it in accordance with the law. Subject to the investigation findings, the DEVB will impose further regulating actions on the contractor and subcontractor concerned later on, including extension of the period of suspension from tendering for public works contracts and even removal from the List and the Specialist List.