Tough penalties planned to stop unapproved fire system shutdowns in Hong Kong
Security Bureau plans to propose legal amendments to improve oversight following deadly Tai Po fire last November
Other proposed changes included drastically increasing the maximum penalty for existing offences related to the unauthorised handling of fire equipment and the issuance of false or misleading certificates, from the original HK$50,000 (US$6,380) fine to a maximum fine of HK$3 million and three years’ imprisonment.
Hearings by a judge-led independent inquiry into last November’s deadly blaze at Tai Po’s Wang Fuk Court exposed a series of failures and alleged malpractice by various parties, which led to the deactivation of fire alarms during renovations.
The SCMP learned on Wednesday that the Security Bureau proposed a set of legal amendments to improve oversight of fire installation contractors, including requiring prior approval before deactivating firefighting systems, such as hose reels and fire alarms.
Under existing regulations, contractors are only required to submit a shutdown notice to authorities after deactivating such systems.
Contractors would also be in breach of regulations if they failed to notify the Fire Services Department of any malfunctioning firefighting systems within 24 hours, display annual fire inspection certificates or implement temporary fire safety measures.