An electrical and building services engineer on Monday called on the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) to improve its oversight of lift safety and tighten qualification renewals for registered lift engineers.

The remarks by Ho Wing-ip came after inspections revealed that lifts at 74 more buildings installed by Taizoom Elevator were missing fire-resistant door frame components.

This brings the total number of affected premises to 152.

Speaking to RTHK, Ho Wing-ip said while the department should continue to rely on licensed lift inspectors to carry out examination, changes must be made.

“With this incident I think [the EMSD] cannot change the principle of trust system but they can look into the examination report,” he said.

“According to my understanding, they haven't included the fire door and the smoke seal component into the document. I think they have to incorporate into the examination report as soon as possible.”

“And also, we have to revisit the requirement of the qualifications of the register lift engineers and the requirement of renewal of the status every five years. They should tighten up the requirement,” he added.

Ho, also an adjunct professor at Polytechnic University's Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, added that he believes Taizoom Elevator may have omitted the smoke-seal components to cut costs.

While the components only account for around 10 percent of the cost of a fire-resistant door system, omitting them across a large quantity of lifts could result in significant savings, he explained.

The EMSD launched citywide inspections on lifts serviced by Taizoom Elevator last week, after fire-resistant door frames were found missing from 48 newly installed lifts at two public housing estates.

As of Sunday, the department had completed checks at 197 buildings with Taizoom-installed lifts, with around 180 remaining.

The department has also required other registered lift contractors to conduct similar checks on their own installations and submit inspection reports.

The EMSD said it would also conduct sample checks.

So far, no other contractors have reported any issues.

Police also arrested a 79-year-old company director and two registered lift engineers on suspicion of deception and fraud.

They were later released on bail.




Edited by Tony Sabine