​Following is a question by the Hon Holden Chow and a written reply by the Secretary for Development, Ms Bernadette Linn, in the Legislative Council today (November 4):

Question: 
     
     It has been reported that the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) has recently uncovered serious deficiencies in lift works at a number of housing estates and buildings, including the failure to install fire resisting doors and door frame components in accordance with specifications for a number of lifts. Meanwhile, it has also been revealed that a number of newly installed lifts at the new Clinical Block of Queen Mary Hospital have been experiencing frequent breakdowns due to deviations in shaft dimensions, misalignment of lift shafts and installation issues. There are views that as lifts are essential facilities used by the public in daily life, their safety is directly related to the life safety of the public. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:

(1) of the respective numbers of investigations, prosecutions and disciplinary actions taken by the EMSD in the past five years in respect of contraventions involving registered lift contractors or lift workers in Hong Kong, including non-compliant maintenance and the issuance of false or misleading safety certificates (set out in a table);

(2) what measures the authorities have put in place to strengthen the supervision and follow-up of lift works, such as conducting special inspections, carrying out comprehensive spot checks and suspending tendering eligibility, so as to ensure that the operation and fire safety of lifts in the territory will comply with statutory standards in the future; and

(3) whether, in the light of the incident involving misaligned lift shafts and lift breakdowns at the new Clinical Block of Queen Mary Hospital, the Hospital Authority and the relevant departments have conducted similar comprehensive safety inspections or supervisory reviews of lifts and lift shaft works in other public hospitals and newly constructed government buildings in the territory; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?

Reply:

President,
     
     The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) regulates the design, installation, maintenance and examination of lifts in accordance with the Lifts and Escalators Ordinance (Cap. 618) (Ordinance) and the related Codes of Practice. Under the Ordinance, lift installation works are the joint responsibility of stakeholders, including registered lift contractors, registered lift engineers and registered lift workers. The EMSD is responsible for regulating the work of these stakeholders in accordance with the Ordinance to ensure lift safety.

     Under the prevailing mechanism, every newly installed lift, or lift that has undergone major alteration works, is subject to a three-tier inspection process. This includes self-inspection by the registered lift contractor, thorough examination by a registered lift engineer, and on-site re-inspection and functional testing of every safety component (mainly including the speed governor, ascending car overspeed protection device, unintended car movement protection device, car door lock and landing door lock devices, buffer, safety gear, lift safety circuits) by the EMSD. The EMSD will consider issuing a use permit or resumption permit only after all three tiers of inspection have been completed satisfactorily. For those lifts which have already been issued with use permits or resumption permits, the EMSD will conduct inspections and audits on their operation on a risk-based approach. If the EMSD identifies any misconduct when carrying out the department's above duties, it will take firm action in accordance with the law. In addition to issuing warnings, it may prosecute relevant registered contractors, registered engineers or engineering personnel who have acted unlawfully or in breach of the rules; take disciplinary action; or cancel or suspend their registration.
          
     Our reply to various parts of the question raised by the Hon Holden Chow is as follows:
     
(1) Over the past five years, the number of investigations, prosecutions, and disciplinary actions taken by the EMSD under the Ordinance against registered lift contractors or personnel for non-compliance (including improper maintenance, and issuing false or misleading safety certificates) is tabulated as follows:
 

Year	Number of Investigations	Number of Prosecutions (Note 2)	Number of Disciplinary Actions (Note 3)
2022	11	5	4
2023	6	5	4
2024	14	2	0
2025	8	8	1
2026 (Note 1)	6	2	1

Note 1: As at the end of September 2026
Note 2: The number of prosecutions refers to the number of cases successfully prosecuted through the court. As it takes time to conduct the investigations, the number of prosecution cases in a year may not necessarily be the same as the number of cases investigated in that year.
Note 3: Disciplinary actions include cancellation or suspension of registration, fines, etc. As it takes time to conduct disciplinary proceedings, the number of disciplinary action cases in a year may not necessarily be the same as the number of investigation or prosecution cases conducted in that year.

(2) In light of recent lift incidents, the EMSD has commenced a comprehensive review, encompassing the installation of new lifts and major lift alteration works, specific requirements and site supervision system of inspection and maintenance works, as well as the registration, regulation, and approval systems under the Ordinance. Furthermore, the EMSD will enhance its inspections and spot checks on all lifts to improve overall works quality. The relevant review is expected to be completed by the end of this year. 
     
     As mentioned above, the on-site re-inspection and functional testing conducted by the EMSD for each lift focus on safety components. Before the completion of the review, the EMSD has immediately extended the scope of on-site inspections. In addition to those prevailing safety-related items, the EMSD inspectors will also conduct on-site random checks on critical items that may affect lift operation and functionality (such as stability and reliability, smoothness of ride and fire-resisting doorsets).

     If any deficiencies are identified in the quality of lift works or the registered lift contractors' site supervision and inspection system during inspections and audits, the EMSD will take immediate follow-up actions.
     
(3) As regards the lift installation works at Clinical Block 1 of Queen Mary Hospital, the Development Bureau (DEVB) launched an independent review to identify any deficiencies in respect of the construction, acceptance inspection and site supervision work, as well as to look for any room for improvement in the supervisory regime for similar construction projects. The DEVB has submitted the investigation report to the Chief Executive earlier and is in the process of submitting further information on the remedial works and follow-up actions as requested by the Chief Executive. The DEVB will report the investigation findings to the Legislative Council Panel on Development as soon as possible for disclosure to the public.
     
     In response to the lift installation works at Clinical Block 1 of Queen Mary Hospital, the Architectural Services Department and the Hospital Authority have inspected and reviewed the lift shaft construction and lift installation works of all ongoing government building and hospital projects under their jurisdictions and no similar problems have been identified. In addition, the two parties have tightened up the supervision and acceptance inspection of lift works in projects under their jurisdictions, including verifying surveying data in respect of lift shafts provided by contractors and lift sub-contractors, with a view to identifying construction quality issues at an early stage and taking follow-up actions.

Ends/Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Issued at HKT 12:41

NNNN