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A Registered Contractor and its director were recently fined a total of $175,000 for causing concrete collapse when demolishing a four-storey industrial building in Kwun Tong in July last year.

Wabond Construction Co Ltd and its director were convicted in the Kwun Tong Magistracy on December 7 for carrying out building works in a dangerous manner causing risk of injury to person or damage to property, and failure to take practicable precautions to prevent collapse.

They were also convicted of allowing demolition operations to be carried out and operators of powered mechanical plant to be without the immediate supervision of a competent foreman.

The foreman and the demolition plant operator were each fined $10,000 for carrying out demolition works in a dangerous manner.

"The department always takes a serious view of demolition and other building works carried out in a dangerous manner," the acting Assistant Director of Buildings (Legal and Management), Mr Alex Chow Kim-ping, said today (Saturday).

"The Registered Contractor has breached his statutory duties to provide proper supervision and precautions," he said.

The incident happened at 7.15 pm on July 30 last year when some reinforced concrete structure of 29 metres in length fell from the roof level of the demolishing building at No 370 Kwun Tong Road.

The collapse had seriously damaged the bamboo scaffolding, steel catch platform, covered walkway and a bus stop shelter during their fall onto Kwun Tong Road.

Investigations revealed that the demolition of the roof greatly deviated from the method statement and demolition plan submitted by the Authorised Person and accepted by the Building Authority.

"The Registered Contractor did not follow the method statement and demolition plan in that the roof edge beams should have been removed prior to demolition of their supporting columns.

"Excavators were used to pull down the roof edge beams and columns together, but no temporary supports had been provided to the roof edge beams.

"The chain block pulleys used to secure the roof edge beams appeared to be understrength and insufficient," Mr Chow added.

Mr Chow urged contractors to adopt adequate precautionary and protective measures on their sites to ensure the safety of workers, adjacent properties and members of the public.

In a move to improve site safety, the Buildings Department has implemented with effect from December 22 last year the Site Supervision Plan System to ensure better supervision and site safety management of demolition works.

End/Saturday, December 26, 1998.

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