Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn on Friday said the government would improve its acceptance-inspection regime for lifts.

Her remarks came after authorities found that 720 lifts installed by Taizoom Elevator were missing mandatory fire resisting door frame components.

Speaking at a special meeting of the Legislative Council’s Panel on Development, Linn said the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department’s on-site inspections only focused on safety-related components, which should be further expanded to cover other parts.

“For other areas, such as the lift’s smoothness and its door frame, we have to admit that under the current mechanism, we mainly relied on registered lift engineers to carry out inspection without checking on-site,” she said.

“We think this is a point that must be adjusted in the acceptance-inspection regime in the future.”

Linn said she hoped the department could finish reviewing its mechanism by the end of the year.

“We don’t want to bring in an independent third party every time a problem arises in the regulatory authorities, because it would only result in layer upon layer of regulation while increasing the costs,” she said.

“Also, don’t forget that even a third party itself might fail to comply with the rules.”

Linn said the authorities would conduct spot checks when non-governmental personnel are involved in building works and impose punishments that carry a deterrent effect.


Edited by Aaron Tam