Better safety and quality standards are among the main objectives for the Hong Kong Construction Association (HKCA) in its long-standing relationship with the Works Bureau.
The aim is to halt the appalling toll of death and injury that occurs on construction sites every year and help stop the shoddy building standards which characterised the 1960s.
'The Works Bureau demands high standards from the construction industry in terms of quality and safety,' said Patrick Chan Wing-tung, HKCA secretary-general.
'The bureau is responsible for the welfare of society at large. The projects they develop are important, not only because of the scale of the project but also the type of project is important,' he said.
He said the $155 billion airport core programme was typical of the variety of projects, both large and small, that the bureau undertook.
The 350-member HKCA, which represented international and local contractors, had built up a lasting relationship stretching over many years, starting with what was originally the Department of Public Works, Mr Chan said.
This had enabled the HKCA to advise the Government, through the bureau, on public works policy including conditions of contract, improvements in construction quality, site safety, training, standards and new techniques and technologies.