Buildings Department follows up on fallen concrete at Lai Wan Building

     Upon notification by the Police at about 6.30pm on July 19 that some concrete had fallen from Lai Wan Building on 33-35 Shau Kei Wan Road, staff of the Buildings Department (BD) were immediately deployed to carry out a site inspection. Using an elevated working platform set up by the Fire Services Department, the BD staff inspected the bottom of the second floor of the building above the pavement of Sau Kei Wan Road and found that a piece of concrete/rendering measuring about 600mm by 600mm had fallen off. No obvious danger to the overall building structure was noted. As directed by the BD staff, the owners' corporation (OC) of the building has immediately arranged for a contractor to erect temporary protective measures and will remove within these few days the remaining parts that may come loose to ensure public safety.

     The subject building is about 58 years old. The BD has issued earlier a statutory notice under the Mandatory Building Inspection Scheme (MBIS) to the OC in respect of the common parts of the building. Although the concerned building has been inspected, the statutory notice under the MBIS will not be considered as complied with until the repair works have been completed. It is noted that the building belongs to the Category 1 buildings under the Operation Building Bright 2.0, and the OC is making its own arrangements for the repair works. The BD will continue to follow up the matter, and will request the OC to submit a programme of works to comply with the statutory notice by carrying out the repair works as soon as possible.

     The BD emphasised that it is the responsibility of owners to ensure the safety of their buildings. Timely repair and maintenance of private buildings is the basic responsibility of owners. Pursuant to section 40(1BC) of the Buildings Ordinance, any person who, without reasonable excuse, fails to comply with a statutory notice served on him or her, commits an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 5 ($50,000 at present) and to imprisonment for one year, as well as a further fine of $5,000 for each day that the offence has continued.