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The following is issued on behalf of the Housing Authority:
This year marks the sixth anniversary of the Quality Public Housing Construction and Maintenance Awards. Jointly organized by the Housing Authority (HA), professional organizations and government bodies, the award programme aims to acknowledge industry practitioners with outstanding performance in the construction and maintenance of public rental housing (PRH), and to provide a platform for practitioners to share their experience in quality improvement.
Officiating at the awards presentation ceremony today (December 6), Ms Ada Fung, Deputy Director of Housing (Development and Construction), said, "Thanks to the close collaboration among business partners, supervisors and workers, and the hard work of project teams and front-line colleagues, the HA can stay in tune with the needs of the community, creating quality homes for PRH residents and making continuous improvements to their living environment."
Ms Fung gladly noted that stringent safety specifications in the HAˇ¦s construction contracts have led to significant improvement on site safety. Accident rate has dropped from 55.8 cases per thousand workers in 2001 to 11.9 cases in 2007. More remarkably for this year, an HA site came out with a clean bill of zero accident throughout the construction period.
The HA has adopted the principle of 'conservation rather than demolition' in its maintenance activities. PRH estates are maintained in accordance with their life cycle and facilities are renewed and upgraded to suit residentsˇ¦ needs. It is hoped that, benefiting from robust maintenance and up-to-date facilities, the lifespan and economic value of the public housing stock can be sustained.
The Total Maintenance Scheme, for instance, has achieved remarkable results. Since its introduction in 2006, more than 93 000 flats in over 50 estates have been inspected under the scheme, amounting to 85% of the PRH flats in Hong Kong. So far, over 150 000 repairs have been completed.
"The HA will be constructing 77 000 PRH units over the next five years," Ms Fung added, "and we can foresee even more room for cooperation between the HA and the industry."
She reiterated that the HA, premised on its core value of being 'customer-focused', will continue to strive for ever higher quality standards, targeting at improvements in buildability, cost-effectiveness and site safety. These are to be achieved through various enhancement measures in procurement, building design and technology applications. Ms Fung called upon industry practitioners to further collaborate with the HA to sustain quality improvement and help improve the living environment of PRH residents.
Co-organizing the Quality Public Housing Construction and Maintenance Awards 2008 with the HA are: the Hong Kong Construction Association, the Hong Kong Federation of Electrical & Mechanical Contractors, the Hong Kong Construction Sub-Contractors Association, the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, the Construction Site Workers General Union, the Hong Kong & Kowloon Electrical Engineering & Appliances Trade Workers Union, the Labour Department, the Occupational Safety & Health Council, the Construction Industry Council and the Vocational Training Council. Awards were presented in two categories under New Works Projects and Maintenance Services Projects.
The adjudication panel comprised representatives from the 11 co-organizers. Nominees were assessed by their performance in terms of work quality, environmental protection, occupational safety and health, ethics and integrity, partnership and customer service. Award winners include 52 contractors and sub-contractors, 5 outstanding projects, 21 Best Site Safety Record projects, 7 outstanding Housing Department (HD) project teams, 8 Total Maintenance Scheme practitioners, 10 supervisors and 22 workers.
Some of the winners' success stories will be posted onto the HA/HD Web Site (www.housingauthority.gov.hk). Industry practitioners and members of the public are welcome to browse the content and share the experience of the awardees.
Ends/Saturday, December 6, 2008
Issued at HKT 18:50
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