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Following is a question by the Hon Ip Wai-ming and a written reply by the Secretary for the Environment, Mr Edward Yau (in the absence of Secretary for Development), in the Legislative Council today (June 30):
Question:
It has been reported that in April this year, a fatal accident occurred while a relief lift worker was working in a lift shaft, and the incident reflects the existence of loopholes and lack of supervision in the system of competent lift workers under the existing Lifts and Escalators (Safety) Ordinance (Cap. 327), which caused the accident. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(a) of the number of lift inspections conducted by the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) in the past three years, and what measures the authorities had put in place to ensure that registered lift contractors assigned competent workers to undertake inspection and repair works for lifts;
(b) whether EMSD had, in the past three years, uncovered that unregistered lift contractors had undertaken lift repair works; if it had, whether the authorities had instituted any prosecution; if so, of the number of convictions; and
(c) given that the Government has been working on the amendment to the aforesaid legislation, what the latest progress is; whether the authorities have consulted the trade's views; if they have, what the trade's views are; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) is working with the Labour Department to investigate the accident involving a lift worker in April this year. To strengthen the regulatory control over lift and escalator safety, we are drafting amendments to the Lifts and Escalators (Safety) Ordinance (Cap 327) (the Ordinance). One of the proposed amendments is to introduce a registration system for lift and escalator workers to replace the arrangement of having the qualification of being a competent worker tied with the worker's employment under the existing Ordinance.
My reply to the three parts of the question is given below:
(a) EMSD has conducted over 17,000 inspections of lift installation, alteration, maintenance and repair works over the past three years. Among them over 10,200 were inspections of maintenance and repair works (including periodic examinations). During inspections of lift maintenance and repair works, EMSD staff inspect the records of the lift works log-books and check whether the registered lift contractors have according to the statutory requirements assigned authorised lift workers to carry out the examination and repair works. Appropriate disciplinary actions or prosecutions will be initiated against contractors in case of contraventions.
(b) Under the existing Ordinance, unregistered contractors are not allowed to carry out lift and escalator repair works. EMSD has not found any case of repair works undertaken by unregistered contractors over the past three years.
(c) The three-month public consultation exercise on the proposed legislative amendments ended on February 28, 2010. During the consultation period, we collected views from the trade, including the Lift and Escalator Contractors Association, the Registered Elevator and Escalator Contractors Association, and the Hong Kong General Union of Lift and Escalator Employees. We observe from the responses that there is general support for the amendment proposals to enhance the regulatory control over lift and escalator safety. We have reported the outcome of the public consultation exercise on the proposed amendments to the Legislative Council Panel on Development on June 22. Our aim is to introduce the bill to the Legislative Council for consideration in 2011.
Ends/Wednesday, June 30, 2010
Issued at HKT 12:36
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