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LCQ8: Regulating the demolition of buildings containing asbestos
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     Following is a question by the Hon Leung Ka-lau and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau, at the Legislative Council meeting today (May 19):

Question:

     It has been reported that the debris of the building at Ma Tau Wai Road which collapsed on January 29 this year was suspected to contain asbestos, and demolition of the affected buildings might even spread the asbestos dust from the debris to the residential units nearby, thus exposing the demolition workers and residents in the vicinity to the danger of inhaling asbestos dust. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(a) given that it has been reported that the Labour Department (LD) and the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) had collected air samples for testing from the aforesaid scene of building collapse, so as to ascertain whether workers would have the risk of inhaling asbestos fibres when carrying out the demolition works, of the testing method for the air test, number of samples collected, the locations where samples were collected and number of tests conducted; types of asbestos found in the samples and level of asbestos in the air at the scene of the collapsed building according to the test results, as well as date and time of collecting the air samples concerned; if such information is not available, of the reasons for that;

(b) whether LD and EPD have provided physical check-up for the personnel who handled the aforesaid building collapse incident and carrying out the demolition works (including firemen, healthcare personnel, police officers and demolition workers, etc.); if they have, of the details; if not, how the authorities ensure that the health of such personnel would not be adversely affected by the aforesaid demolition works;

(c) whether the aforesaid demolition works were undertaken by registered asbestos contractors; if so, of the details; if not, how the authorities ensure that the workers would not inhale asbestos fibres from the debris when conducting such works; and

(d) given that at present, quite a number of old buildings in To Kwa Wan need to be demolished or maintained, thus increasing the demand for construction and maintenance workers, whether LD will exercise comprehensive monitoring to ensure that registered asbestos contractors who undertake such works provide each asbestos abatement worker with appropriate training and instructions, and ensure that they are equipped with the skills and knowledge necessary for asbestos abatement; if it will, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,

     Before the 1980s, asbestos containing materials were commonly used in canopies or rooftop structures of old buildings for heat insulation. The asbestos containing materials found in the old buildings in the building collapse incident in To Kwa Wan (the incident) were mainly low-risk chrysotile corrugated cement sheets, which would not release asbestos dust under normal circumstances. The chance of asbestos dust release from fragments of this material would also be lower than other asbestos containing materials. The Air Pollution Control Ordinance (the Ordinance) stipulates that all asbestos abatement works shall be undertaken by registered asbestos contractors in compliance with the statutory requirements and the relevant codes of practice. The Factories and Industrial Undertakings (Asbestos) Regulation (the Regulation) also sets out stringent rules on occupational safety and health for the contractors. All government departments co-operated closely in the incident and in working out the action plan, on-site monitoring as well as clearance work, strived to minimise the impact of asbestos dust on the environment and people concerned. The buildings affected by the incident contained only a small amount of chrysotile corrugated cement sheets and it was shown in the results of the ambient air and workers' safety monitoring conducted during the demolition work that the entire project was completed safely without posing any threat to the environment, workers involved and public health.

     My reply to the above questions is as follows:

(a) Before the demolition work was carried out, the Buildings Department (BD) and Environmental Protection Department (EPD) set up a number of air monitoring points close to the building collapse site and arranged a registered asbestos laboratory to conduct 52 nos. of ambient air monitoring to ascertain whether there was asbestos dust release during the demolition work. The monitoring results showed that the asbestos concentrations in ambient air were all below the lowest detection limit. Details of the ambient air monitoring results are tabulated below:

Ambient air monitoring results

Date         Location                Asbestos
                                     concentration
                                     in ambient air
----         --------                ---------------

February 4   47 Ma Tau Wai Road      Below the lowest
                                     detection limit*

February 10  7 locations next        Below the lowest
             to 45 Ma Tau Wai Road   detection limit      

February 11  9 locations next        Below the lowest
(am)         to 45 Ma Tau Wai Road   detection limit

February 11  9 locations next        Below the lowest
(pm)         to 45 Ma Tau Wai Road   detection limit

February 12  9 locations next        Below the lowest
(am)         to 45 Ma Tau Wai Road   detection limit

February 12  9 locations next        Below the lowest
(pm)         to 45 Ma Tau Wai Road   detection limit

March 1      8 locations next        Below the lowest
             to 45 Ma Tau Wai Road   detection limit

* The lowest detection limit is at 0.01 fibre/mL

     In addition to providing adequate personal protective equipment to workers and supervisory staff during the demolition and clearance works, the Labour Department (LD) and EPD conducted a total of 24 air sampling tests at the building collapse site and the work site for stockpiling the debris of the collapsed building to monitor the extent of exposure of the workers to asbestos dust. Air samples collected by the two departments showed that the asbestos concentrations were at 0.02 fibre/mL or lower, far below the control limit of 0.5 fibre/mL as set out in the Regulation.

     The two types of air monitoring results mentioned above showed that the demolition project posed no threat to the environment, workers involved and public health.

(b) LD and EPD held a briefing for relevant government departments on the incident to explain in detail the health impact of asbestos and the key things that the departments and their employees should take note of while carrying out building demolition and clearance works. LD and EPD would offer assistance to these government departments as and when necessary.

     Contractors responsible for carrying out asbestos demolition works are required under the Regulation to arrange pre-employment and regular in-service medical examinations for their workers. LD will check for compliance with this requirement during their regular inspections. As for the demolition work in this incident, LD had explained to BD in detail the occupational safety and health requirements that the contractors must observe under the Regulation in order to ensure that BD would properly supervise their contractors to safeguard the occupational health of workers.

(c) Throughout the demolition project, BD employed registered asbestos contractors to assist in carrying out the demolition work as required under the Ordinance. Before the work was carried out, BD consulted LD and EPD in formulating a set of control measures to minimise the impact of the work on the environment, workers involved and public health. Adopted key measures included: removing asbestos containing materials under safe condition in the first instance; designating a segregation zone on the building collapse site; avoiding excessive breakage of asbestos cement sheets during demolition; carrying out profuse wetting to minimise asbestos dust release; providing suitable personal protective equipment for workers; conducting air monitoring for the workers and the ambient air; and arranging for proper disposal of asbestos waste. Both LD and EPD officers conducted on site inspections during the demolition project and assisted in implementing the above measures.

(d) In recent years, there are on average as many as 2,100 cases of unauthorised building demolition works and building renovation works that involve asbestos each year in Hong Kong. We believe the industry can cope with the asbestos removal works in old buildings. At present, the Occupational Safety and Health Council and the Construction Industry Council offer on a regular basis training programmes and skill tests for asbestos abatement workers to meet the training demand of the industry.

     Under the Ordinance, a registered asbestos contractor is required to provide regular training to his asbestos workers and submit relevant records to EPD for examination when applying for registration or registration renewal to ensure that his workers possess the necessary skills and knowledge for asbestos works. In addition, the Regulation requires a contractor to provide his asbestos workers with adequate safety and health training and instructions, including safety precautions for working with asbestos and proper use of personal protective equipment and other facilities. During inspections, LD officers will ensure that contractors strictly comply with such requirements.

Ends/Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Issued at HKT 15:41

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