Hong Kong – Development Bureau imposes regulating actions on contractors involved in fatal industrial incidents at public housing construction site in Tung Chung and private maintenance worksite in Central

     A spokesman for the Development Bureau (DEVB) said today (November 25) that the two contractors involved in the fatal industrial incidents that happened on November 22, one at a public housing construction site in Tung Chung and the other one at a private maintenance worksite in Central, were under the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works and the List of Approved Suppliers of Materials and Specialist Contractors for Public Works (the Lists) respectively.
      
     The DEVB, being the party to procure services for public works, attaches great importance to the site safety performance of all construction sites under the purview of contractors on the Lists (regardless of whether the sites are public works construction sites or not). The DEVB issued notifications to the two contractors concerned today to suspend them from tendering for public works contracts in the “Buildings” and “Lift, Escalator and Passenger Conveyor Installation” categories respectively with immediate effect pursuant to the regulating regime. Each of the contractors concerned has to conduct an independent safety audit to review its safety management system. Taking cognisance of the outcome of the independent safety audit, each contractor is required to submit an improvement action plan and implement improvement measures, with a view to demonstrating that it has an effective safety management system before the lifting 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.
      
     The Labour Department is investigating these two industrial incidents and will handle them in accordance with the law. Subject to the investigation findings, the DEVB may impose further regulating actions on the contractors concerned later on, including an extension of the period of suspension from tendering for public works contracts, and even removal from the Lists.