The Hong Kong government has announced a series of safety requirements for scaffold nets, including laboratory testing, before they can be used, in order to prevent tragedies like the fatal Wang Fuk Court fire.
Under the new system, scaffolding contractors will first be required to submit non-flammability certificates for their netting materials, issued by suppliers, to the government, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said during a press briefing on Thursday.
Upon the materials’ arrival, contractors must collect samples according to a set of government-approved procedures. They will then be required to send the materials to designated laboratories for testing before they can be used.
All test results must be registered, and the entire batch will have to be replaced if any sample fails the test, Director of Buildings Ho Chun-hung said at the same press conference.
In addition, the government will conduct random checks on the flammability of scaffolding netting, Linn said.
As the demand for the tests is expected to rise, she said the government would increase the number of designated testing facilities.
Until the new system is running smoothly, the Construction Industry Council, a statutory body for the sector, will coordinate the mass procurement of non-flammable netting, Linn added.
Scaffold nets are used to prevent objects from falling to the ground during building work.
Secretary for Security Chris Tang said that seven out of 20 safety net samples from Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po did not pass fire safety tests, and that police believed the substandard netting and protective foam boards had contributed to the rapid spread of the fire.
The blaze has killed at least 160 people so far and displaced around 2,000 households. Six people remain missing.
The Buildings Department issued an order on December 3 requiring scaffold nets surrounding more than 200 premises undergoing renovation in the city to be removed, after suspected forged safety certificates were found at two renovation sites.
As of 5pm on Monday, a total of 227 private buildings had removed scaffold nets from their external walls to comply with the order.
