NEW fire safety measures recommended eight months ago for public places after 13 people were killed in a bank fire have still not been implemented.
The fire at the Shekkipmei branch of the Hongkong Bank in January sparked calls for an improvement in safety in commercial buildings.
A working group was set up under the chairmanship of the Security Branch to introduce the measures.
The group came up with a three-point plan: the installation of sprinkler systems and emergency lighting in all commercial premises of more than 230 square metres; an improvement in the ratio of emergency exits to the numbers of people in commercial premises; and the launch of a fire safety campaign.
The proposals have been put to public consultation and are back before the working group for detailed scrutiny.
They will then be passed to legislators, but according to the secretary of the working party, Chui Wah-cho, that will not happen for at least another year.
The death toll was high at the bank because workers were trapped behind security screens with no means of escape. The only exit from the working area was a double security door which had been locked. Things were made worse because there was no sprinkler system.