On-site inspections found no evidence of workers smoking, despite repeated complaints from residents, Labor Department officials have said at a public inquiry into the fatal fire at Wang Fuk Court.
Three labor safety officers from the Department of Labor testified Tuesday before an independent committee investigating the inferno, local media reported.
Lam Sau-ching, an occupational safety officer, said the department conducted a total of 17 inspections at the Tai Po housing estate, which has been undergoing major renovations since mid-2024. She said the department had increased inspections to almost once a month due to complaints from residents.
The inspections were unannounced for Prestige Construction & Engineering, the renovation contractor, Lam said, adding that officers would only ask the contractor’s staff to accompany them during an inspection “if necessary”.
However, inspectors found no evidence of workers smoking, and the department concluded the complaints were “unwarranted,” according to records presented during Tuesday’s hearing.
Lam said at the hearing, “When the officers say that the complaint could not be justified, they meant that during the inspection, they could not see evidence of the complaint.”
Lee Shu-wun, a lawyer for the independent committee, said the workers may have smoked although the department found no evidence, which Lam agreed with.
The massive fire, which killed 168 people in November, was “most likely” caused by smokingthe committee’s chief counsel, Victor Dawes, said of the inquiry last month.
Lam also said on Tuesday that, under current regulations, smoking on a construction site is not an offence. Officers must also assess the risk of fire on construction sites before issuing a smoking ban, she added.
Li Man-pong, a senior occupational safety officer, said that, under the proposed general ban on smoking on construction sitesthe department would no longer need to identify fire hazards before implementing it.
Murphy Yuen, the department’s chief occupational safety officer, said authorities would rely on evidence submitted by residents to prosecute any workers found to be smoking after the proposed ban takes effect.
The department will also look at “circumstantial evidence,” such as cigarette butts on the floor, to justify a complaint and strengthen enforcement, Yuen added.
He also said that to strengthen inspections, the department will learn from the Health Department’s Office of Tobacco and Alcohol Control, which enforces the city’s smoking ban, and will use drones.
Obsolete certificate, wooden boards
inquiry heard before that the Department of Labor failed to notice an outdated fire certificate submitted by Prestige after the contractor replaced the pier nets after major typhoons last year.
On Tuesday, Lam admitted that the department did not check the issuance dates on the certificates and that this could be improved.
But, she said, Department of Labor officers were not experts in fire suppression requirements. “We have no relevant qualifications and will not collect samples or conduct tests,” she said in Cantonese. “We focus on making sure the mesh will prevent items from falling.”
Yuen said the Labor Department could have referred to a list of approved labs provided by the Housing Department to check the authenticity of the certificates, but his department still relied on the integrity of the contractor.
“If some contractors are determined to cheat us, there is nothing we can do but refer the matter to law enforcement agencies,” he said in Cantonese.
Department of Labor officers also addressed the removal of fireproof windows and the placement of wooden planks in the property’s emergency stairways, which may have accelerated the spread of smoke inside the buildings during the blaze.
Li, the senior officer, said the wooden planks were useful as entry and exit points for workers on scaffolding because workers are prohibited from climbing outside the buildings due to the risk of falling from a height.
Judge David Lok, chairman of the committee, said Li’s confession appeared to suggest a conflict of interest between workers and residents.
Dawes said the issue could be addressed at a later stage when experts testify at hearings.
He also said four Department of Fire Services officers will testify Wednesday.
