Hong Kong contractor Aggressive Construction Engineering loses licence over safety concerns after fatal accident
- Aggressive Construction Engineering, a subsidiary of Great Harvest Group, will be removed from government’s registered list of contractors on November 16
- Company has about month to settle five private residential and commercial projects, development minister Bernadette Linn says
A Hong Kong engineering company has lost its operating licence over safety concerns following a fatal accident last year, while its sister company which had four workers killed at its sites is also facing a review by the authorities.
Aggressive Construction Engineering, a subsidiary of Great Harvest Group, would be removed from the government’s registered list of contractors on November 16, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho on Wednesday said.
“Starting from that day, the contractor can no longer carry out any construction work,” Linn said after announcing that the company’s bid to renew its licence, which expired in December, was rejected.
Director of Buildings Clarice Yu Po-mei said the company could apply to renew its licence in future, but it had to convince the committee overseeing contractor registration that it was competent.
The company had about a month to settle five private residential and commercial projects, secretary Linn said.
The residential projects are expected to yield 4,900 homes between next year and 2027. About 1,700 flats have already been sold.
“There is still some time,” Linn said. “As long as developers and authorised people follow up as soon as possible in the coming month, the impact on projects is controllable.”
Over half of the 4,900 homes will be at a development in Kwun Tong, while the rest are scattered across a project in Sai Ying Pun, The Coast Line at Yau Tong, Larchwood at Tai Kok Tsui and Grand Jete in Tuen Mun.
Including another small-scale project, the contractor has hired 900 workers for six projects.
Linn said developers were inclined to employ the same group of subcontractors and their workers, while the Labour Department would also provide assistance to employees in need.
A 55-year-old worker died in December last year after a steel beam fell on him at one of Aggressive Construction Engineering’s sites on Yau Tong’s Tung Yuen Street.
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Its sister company Aggressive Construction Company was involved in two other fatal accidents in the past year, and Linn noted the government had initiated prosecution against the company over one incident from last year, while another was still under investigation.
While the company had applied to renew its licence, which expired in April this year, authorities were still reviewing the application, Linn said. The contractor was allowed to continue its operation until authorities made a decision on the extension.
“When we decide on a renewal, we will not consider how many public or private projects it is handling,” Linn said. “We have to strike a balance between ensuring site safety and facilitating construction. We cannot act in an undisciplined way because a contractor has a lot of projects. This will never happen.”
She also said the government would strive to make the necessary preparations if it was aware that contractors of public works might not have their licences renewed.
Aggressive Construction Company is in charge of four public housing projects located in Shek Kip Mei, Tai Po, Tuen Mun and Tung Chung. They will yield about 14,000 flats by 2025.
The Housing Authority said it would closely monitor the progress and performance of relevant projects.
Authorities last Wednesday extended a ban on the company bidding for public projects until the end of next year.
The move came after a 56-year-old electrician fell to his death on Tuesday last week as he laid cables at a construction site for a Fire Services Department project on To Wah Road.
The company was initially suspended from bidding for contracts until this year after a fatal accident at a Housing Society building site on Anderson Road in Sau Mau Ping in September last year.
A 65-tonne tower crane collapsed onto containers being used as temporary offices at the site, killing three workers and injuring another six.
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Fay Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, said cancelling the contractor’s registration was a “severe penalty”.
“The company group has been involved in several fatal accidents. Undeniably, its safety management system must have gone wrong,” Siu said.
She added the government should also review its role as it was responsible for monitoring and inspecting construction works.
Lawmaker Scott Leung Man-kwong, deputy chairman of the legislature’s housing panel, expressed concern over the licence review process for Aggressive Construction Company.
“I’m very worried about this company’s poor safety records at construction sites, which is even worse than the firm suspended today,” Leung said. “If a company were to have its licence revoked and its projects halted because of this, the impact on our public housing supply would be massive.”
The lawmaker suggested authorities set up a dedicated team to monitor sites under the company to ensure compliance with safety requirements, while urging the government to formulate contingency plans for public projects when authorities identified a contractor whose licence might not be renewed.
A staff member of Great Harvest Group told the Post it had no comment.
Additional reporting by Jess Ma
