We failed to check if workers smoked at Wang Fuk Court, firms tell fire hearing

Subcontractors admit to lapses in smoking oversight and fire safety modifications at estate where Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades occurred. | Contesto: cronaca

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• We failed to check if workers smoked at Wang Fuk Court, firms tell fire hearing

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Two engineering subcontractors have admitted to an independent inquiry that they failed to regulate workers' smoking and replaced fireproof windows with wooden boards at Wang Fuk Court, the subsidised housing estate at the centre of Hong Kong's deadliest fire in decades. The firms made the concessions during a hearing on Thursday, detailing their roles in a HK$336 million renovation project that was ongoing when the fatal inferno broke out. The admissions directly address two critical factors under scrutiny by the committee investigating the blaze. The first is the potential ignition source, with the firms confirming they had no system to monitor or control smoking on the worksite. The second pertains to the integrity of the building's passive fire protection, specifically the compromised evacuation routes. Representatives stated that fire-resistant windows along key escape passages were partially swapped for movable wooden panels to facilitate worker access to external scaffolding, a modification they said was done at the direction of the main contractor. This fire, which resulted in significant loss of life, stands as the most lethal in Hong Kong for over half a century. The tragedy has triggered intense public scrutiny of safety protocols within the city's vast and busy construction and renovation sector, particularly for occupied residential buildings. The hearing represents a pivotal effort to establish a definitive chain of events and accountability, moving from initial shock and grief towards a formal fact-finding process. The scale of the renovation project, valued at nearly US$43 million, underscores the significant and disruptive nature of the work being undertaken at Wang Fuk Court. Subsidised or public housing estates in Hong Kong are home to hundreds of thousands of residents, and maintenance projects are common. The evidence presented suggests a conflict between construction convenience and fundamental fire safety, where temporary access measures fundamentally weakened permanent life-saving infrastructure designed to contain smoke and flames. The committee's work is far from complete. While these testimonies highlight specific procedural and...

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Categoria: cronaca