【明報專訊】LINKED TO multiple fatal industrial accidents in recent years, Aggressive Construction Company Limited (ACCL) has had its licence renewal denied. It will be removed from the "Register of General Building Contractors" starting 20 June. The most serious construction site accident related to the company was the crane collapse tragedy at Anderson Road three years ago. Recently, another site in the area was exposed for a bribery case involving jerry-built steel reinforcements. The successive events have made works projects at Anderson Road a pillar of shame for the industry. The industry must learn from the bitter lessons and eradicate the habit of taking chances. The authorities also have responsibility to strengthen supervision.
On Tuesday (20 May), the Independent Commission Against Corruption disclosed a case involving substandard steel reinforcement works in a private housing project. In an attempt to cut costs, a subcontractor responsible for rebar works allegedly installed steel bars without conforming to the construction plans and offered various "incentives" like red packets and nightclub entertainment to bribe the main contractor's staff as well as on-site supervisors from the consulting firm, in exchange for lenient monitoring of steel reinforcement work. So far, 10 individuals have been arrested.
Yesterday (22 May), the Development Bureau announced the rejection of ACCL's application for licence renewal. The authorities did not reach a conclusion over whether to accept its application until yesterday, although the contractor's registration had already expired in April 2023. Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn explained that the authorities need time to thoroughly review and verify the information to ensure proper procedures were followed.
ACCL's projects have seen five deaths in three years, reflecting serious shortcomings in its occupational safety practices. An independent expert investigation report clearly indicated that the crane collapse incident was not due to minor negligence by one or two individuals, but rather systemic failures across multiple levels of supervision. The authorities have no reason to let it off, and rejection of the registration renewal is a justified approach.
The bribery case involving jerry-built steel reinforcements was equally appalling. The Buildings Department drilled into all six buildings at the construction site to collect evidence and found that the steel reinforcement configuration "severely deviated from the approved plans". The amount of main steel reinforcements was, on average, about 10% less than that in the approved plans. Despite the Buildings Department stating that remedial measures could be taken and no obvious danger is posed to the overall structure, the incident has inevitably tarnished the reputation of Hong Kong's construction industry.
Hong Kong sees an average of more than 20 fatal industrial accidents annually, with the construction industry being the hardest hit. Last year, corruption complaints in the sector surged by 45% year on year. Be it the high frequency of fatal site accidents or the emergence of jerry-building scandals, they all reflect the industry's habit of taking chances— prioritising speed over safety and relying on the hope that no one will notice or that no accident will occur. The government and the industry must be highly vigilant against this undesirable trend and stop its spread.
明報社評2025.05.23：不容「僥倖文化」滋長 建造業要躬身自省
近年牽涉多宗致命工業意外的精進建築有限公司不獲續牌，下月20日起將從「一般建築承建商名冊」除名。精進建築涉及的最嚴重地盤意外，是3年前的安達臣道天秤倒塌慘劇。日前同區另一地盤又爆出鋼筋偷工減料賄賂案。安達臣道的工程項目相繼出事，已成為了業界的恥辱柱，業界必須痛定思痛，杜絕行內的「僥倖文化」，當局也有責任切實加強監管。
廉政公署周二公布一宗私人住宅項目鋼筋偷工減料案，有地盤紮鐵分判商疑為減省成本，不依圖則施工，並向承建商員工、顧問公司駐工地監督人員提供利市、夜總會款待等「甜頭」，換取寬鬆監管鋼筋工程，迄今有10人被捕。
及至昨天，發展局宣布拒絕精進建築續牌申請。精進建築的承建商註冊，其實前年4月已屆滿，然而對於是否接納續牌申請，當局直至昨天才有定論，發展局長甯漢豪解釋，當局需要時間詳細審視及核實資料，確保依足程序辦事。
精進建築負責的工程，3年內先後有5人死亡，反映該公司在職安方面存在重大缺失。獨立專家調查報告清楚顯示，塌天秤事故明顯不止是一兩個人疏忽失誤所致，而是多重把關失諸交臂。當局沒有理由姑息，拒絕續牌是合理做法。
至於鋼筋偷工減料賄賂案，同樣令人震驚。屋宇署鑿開涉案地盤全數6幢大廈石屎檢查協助蒐證，發現全都出現鋼筋配置「嚴重偏離批准圖則」，主力鋼筋數量較批准圖則平均少約一成。雖然屋宇署指可補救，未對整體結構構成明顯危險，但事件無可避免損害本港建造業界聲譽。
本港平均每年發生超過20宗奪命工業意外，建造業是重災區。去年有關建造業貪污的投訴，按年上升45%。無論地盤奪命意外頻發還是偷工減料醜聞，背後其實都折射業內的「僥倖文化」──為了趕工而忽略安全，總之無人發現問題、無事故發生就可以。政府和業界對此必須高度警惕，莫讓歪風蔓延。
■ Glossary 生字 /
jerry-built : built quickly and cheaply without caring about quality or safety
take your chances : to take a risk or to use the opportunities that you have and hope that things will happen in the way that you want
remedial : aimed at solving a problem, especially when this involves correcting or improving sth that has been done wrong