Hong Kong – Contractor fined for violation of safety legislation

Contractor fined for violation of safety legislation

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     Prime Asset Development Limited was fined $87,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today (October 16) for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
      
     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on December 13, 2022, at a construction site in Ho Man Tin. A scaffolder, while erecting a scaffold at the external wall of a building under renovation, plunged from the scaffold to the ground and died.

Hong Kong – Contractor for construction works under Shatin to Central Link Project fined for material deviation from works shown in approved plans

Contractor for construction works under Shatin to Central Link Project fined for material deviation from works shown in approved plans

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     ​A registered contractor, who had deviated in a material way from the building works shown in the plans approved by the Buildings Department (BD), was convicted and fined $40,000 at the Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today (June 27). In view of the conviction, the BD will refer the case to the Contractors’ Disciplinary Board for instigating disciplinary proceedings under the Buildings Ordinance (BO). 

     The case is related to the irregularities of the fixing of steel reinforcements in the building works at the Hung Hom Stabling Sidings under the Shatin to Central Link Project carried out in June 2017. Investigations by the BD found that the couplers of the steel reinforcements in a reinforced concrete slab deviated in a material way from the works shown in the plan approved by the BD. Hence, Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited, the contractor responsible for the building works had committed an offence under section 40(2A)(b) of the BO (Cap. 123). The BD instigated prosecution action against Leighton Contractors (Asia) Limited in May 2020.

     A spokesman for the BD said that contractors should carry out building works in accordance with the approved plans and the BO to ensure building and public safety.

     Pursuant to section 40(2A)(b) of the BO, any person for whom any prescribed inspection or building works or street works are being carried out and any authorised person, registered structural engineer, registered geotechnical engineer, registered inspector, qualified person, registered general building contractor, registered specialist contractor or registered minor works contractor directly concerned with any such inspection or works who, diverges or deviates in any material way from any work shown in a plan approved by the Building Authority shall be guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of $1,000,000 and to imprisonment for three years. Moreover, the contractor who contravenes the relevant provisions of the BO in carrying out building works may also be subject to disciplinary action, liable to be fined, reprimanded or removed from the registered contractors’ register. 

Hong Kong – Contractor fined for violation of safety legislation

Contractor fined for violation of safety legislation

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     Shun Lee Engineering Limited was fined $115,000 at Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts today (July 25) for violation of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.

 

     The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on December 2, 2021, at an upper unit under renovation of a building in Hung Hom, Kowloon. While dismantling a truss-out scaffold at the external wall of the unit, a scaffolder plunged to the bottom of the yard on the ground floor of the building and died.

Hong Kong – Contractor of construction site in Tsing Yi convicted for contravening Noise Control Ordinance

Contractor of construction site in Tsing Yi convicted for contravening Noise Control Ordinance

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     A contractor for a public housing development on Tsing Hung Road, Tsing Yi, namely China State Construction Engineering (Hong Kong) Limited, which illegally used powered mechanical equipment to carry out construction works during restricted hours (between 7pm and 7am on weekdays) was convicted and fined $80,000 at Fanling Magistrates’ Courts yesterday (May 31) for contravening the Noise Control Ordinance (NCO). It was the heaviest fine among similar cases in the past three years.

 

     A spokesman for the Environmental Protection Department (EPD) said today (June 1) it received complaints from members of the public in April last year that construction works were being carried out at the aforementioned construction site at around 6am, generating noise and causing nuisance to residents nearby. The EPD then conducted a blitz inspection and found that the contractor of the construction site was using powered mechanical equipment, including a tower crane and a fork-lift truck, to carry out construction works before 7am, which violated the requirements of its construction noise permit (CNP). The EPD revoked the CNP for the construction site immediately and prosecuted the contractor of the construction site under the NCO.

 

     The spokesman reminded construction site contractors to properly arrange for works to be carried out during the daytime on weekdays with a view to avoiding causing noise pollution and nuisance to residents nearby. According to the NCO, unless the contractor has obtained a valid CNP, no powered mechanical equipment for any construction works shall be used between 7pm and 7am on weekdays, or at any time on a general holiday (including Sundays). When carrying out works, contractors should only use permitted powered mechanical equipment or carry out approved works with noise mitigation measures in place within the periods specified in a CNP. Offenders are liable to a maximum fine of $100,000 on first conviction, and $200,000 on second or subsequent conviction. A daily fine of $20,000 can also be imposed for a continuous offence.

23 Year Old Painting Contractor Expanding to Fill Gaps in Home Renovation

 After 23 years in business, and Denver painting company is expanding and changing its name. Walls by Design Inc. has serviced the Denver Metro offering interior painting services to homeowners and designers for 23 years. Nick May, owner of Walls by Design, has slowly expanded their service offering in recent years to include cabinet painting, tile installation, and trim carpentry. “We focus on smaller projects for homeowners. They need a backsplash, or some crown added to their cabinets, or want a feature wall. These are the projects larger contractors don’t want to take on, and thus, homeonwers don’t know where to go. Enter, Walls by Design,” reports May. Mr. May went on to say, “We are constantly looking for services that complement our painting, and things that our homeowners are asking for. Recently we have decided to expand into wallpaper installation to fill a much-needed gap.”

Wallpaper installation had seen a huge decline in the 90s. Due to the decline in demand, many painting contractors simply were not offering the service anymore. Historically, painting contractors were seen as painters and decorators, but with aging wallpaper hangers, and few opting to get trained, the trade has almost become extinct. The Wallcovering Installers Association (WIA), formerly known as the National Guild of Professional Paperhangers (NGPP), was founded in 1974 once had thousands of members, but has dwindled to less than 400 members.

Today, designers and homeowners across the country are finding it hard to locate a qualified wallpaper installer due to retiring baby-boomers and a lack of trained workers. To fill this gap, Walls by Design is launching a training center for painting and wallpaper hanging in Denver, and will be offering professional and homeowner level classes.

To better represent the expanded services, Walls by Design has recently changed their name to Walls by Design Painting and Decorating. For more information, please check out their website at wallsbydesign.com.

Walls by Design

Nick May

303-346-1694

www.wallsbydesign.com

ContactContact

Cabinet painting, tile installation, trim carpentry

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