The Registered Contractors' Disciplinary Board has completed four disciplinary inquiries under the Buildings Ordinance (BO) and decided that two of the registered minor works contractors (RMWC) and their authorized signatories (AS) should be disciplined for having been negligent or having misconducted themselves in building works; one of the RMWC appointed as a qualified person (QP) under the Mandatory Window Inspection Scheme (MWIS) and its AS should be disciplined for failing to discharge the duties or abide by the requirements imposed on a QP under the BO, and the other RMWC should be disciplined for having been convicted by a court of offences related to building works.

     The Board's written decisions and orders issued on June 24 were published in the Gazette today (July 10). Details are available at the following link:
      
     Case 1: egazette.gld.gov.hk/pdf?type=egn&year=2026&volume=30&gno=28&notice_no=4135&extra=0
     Case 2: egazette.gld.gov.hk/pdf?type=egn&year=2026&volume=30&gno=28&notice_no=4136&extra=0
     Case 3: egazette.gld.gov.hk/pdf?type=egn&year=2026&volume=30&gno=28&notice_no=4134&extra=0
     Case 4: egazette.gld.gov.hk/pdf?type=egn&year=2026&volume=30&gno=28&notice_no=4133&extra=0

     The first case involved a fatal incident that occurred at a shop under renovation at King Fuk Street, San Po Kong, on March 15, 2021. A worker died after falling from a ladder platform that toppled while he was reportedly undergoing levelling work. The RMWC was prosecuted by the Labour Department for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, and was subsequently convicted and fined $81,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates' Courts on October 4, 2021. In view of the conviction of the RMWC, the Buildings Department (BD) notified the Board for its consideration of disciplinary action against the RMWC under the provisions of section 13(1) of the BO. 

     Upon completion of the disciplinary inquiry, the Board ordered the RMWC to be fined $100,000 and to pay a total of $37,000, being the costs of the Board and the BD for conducting the inquiry.

     The RMWC of the second case submitted prescribed forms to the BD in 2015, notifying the commencement of minor works for repairing of external renderings and wall tiles of four residential units at On Chun Street, Shatin, and On Chee Road, Tai Po. No completion certificates were submitted despite repeated reminders, requests and warnings from the BD. An investigation by the BD revealed that the minor works had already been completed and the RMWC failed to submit the completion certificates. This showed that the RMWC and its AS had been negligent or had misconducted themselves in building works. The BD therefore notified the Board for its consideration to take disciplinary action against the RMWC and its AS under the provisions of sections 13(1) and 13(3) of the BO. 

     Upon completion of the disciplinary inquiry, the Board ordered the RMWC and its AS to be fined $10,000 in total and to pay a total of $44,600 being the costs of the Board and the BD for conducting the inquiry.

     The RMWC of the third case submitted a certificate under the MWIS to the BD in August 2019, certifying that a prescribed inspection had been carried out to the windows of a residential unit at Ma Tin Road, Yuen Long, and that those windows were safe and no prescribed repair was required. The BD later conducted an investigation in response to a report and found that the rivets of some windows showed greyish-white powder, and the cam lock of a window was missing. The RMWC and its AS were subsequently prosecuted by the BD, and were convicted and fined $16,000 in total at the Tuen Mun Magistrates' Courts on October 16, 2020, pursuant to section 40(2B)(b) of the BO, for having carried out a prescribed inspection in a manner likely to cause a risk of personal injury or property damage. In view of the convictions of the RMWC and its AS, the BD notified the Board for its consideration of disciplinary action against the RMWC and its AS under the provisions of sections 13(1) of the BO. 

     Upon completion of the disciplinary inquiry, the Board ordered the AS to be reprimanded, the RMWC to be prohibited from certifying any prescribed inspection, or certifying or supervising any prescribed repair of windows, for six months with effect from the date of the Gazette, and the RMWC and its AS to pay a total of $38,600, being the costs of the Board and the BD for conducting the inquiry.  

     The RMWC of the fourth case submitted 55 prescribed forms in total to the Independent Checking Unit (ICU) of the Housing Bureau from April to May 2020, notifying the commencement of minor works for repairing external walls of a housing estate at Po Hong Road, Tseung Kwan O; and certifying completion of the minor works to the ICU from May to June 2020. An investigation by the ICU revealed that the minor works had already been commenced and completed in December 2019. This showed that the RMWC and its AS had certified minor works not in accordance with the simplified requirements, and had been negligent or had misconducted themselves in building works. The BD therefore notified the Board for its consideration to take disciplinary action against the RMWC and its AS under the provisions of sections 13(1) and 13(3) of the BO. 

     Upon completion of the disciplinary inquiry, the Board ordered the RMWC and its AS to be fined $20,000 in total and to pay a total of $55,200 being the costs of the Board and the BD for conducting the inquiry.  

     A spokesperson for the BD reiterated that any registered contractor who contravenes the relevant provisions of the BO in carrying out building works, or is convicted by any court of an offence relating to building works, or has been negligent or has misconducted himself in building works, will be subject to enforcement action including criminal prosecution and disciplinary action under the BO.
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     Moreover, in order to ensure building safety, the BD attaches great importance to the quality of the prescribed window inspection and repairs by a QP under the MWIS. Any QP who contravenes the relevant provisions of the BO in carrying out the prescribed inspection and repair of windows under the MWIS is not only liable to criminal prosecution but also to disciplinary action under the BO. The BD will continue to conduct audit inspections to ensure the quality of prescribed inspections and repairs under the MWIS, the spokesperson added.

Ends/Friday, July 10, 2026
Issued at HKT 11:30

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