Surveyor expected to be held liable for roof collapse as City University’s top brass are accused of offloading responsibility
Report says the institution’s vice-president lacked the expertise to monitor building works, but technical staff will face disciplinary action
A veteran surveyor named as the sole person in charge of City University’s greening project is expected to be held liable for the collapse of the roof at a sports centre last month, despite his repeated denial that he was involved in the work.
But a CityU vice-president who oversaw the institution’s green roof projects will escape liability, prompting a member of the governing council to accuse top brass of dodging their moral obligations by offloading responsibility on technical staff.
An18-page report into the incident by a CityU committee submitted to president Way Kuo this week specified that Sinoway Construction Engineering was the contractor for the greening project.
Sinoway was responsible for appointing an authorised person as part of Hong Kong’s statutory requirements for building works. A letter by Sinoway to the committee stated that Kenneth Chan Jor-kin was the only authorised person for “building works” – a water tank used to irrigate the vegetation.
A consultant firm owned by Chan had advised Sinoway that green roof installations were classified as “non-building works”, which meant it did not need to submit plans to the Buildings Department for approval.