A Strategic Plan to minimise/mitigate
building failures
In view of the sizeable number of identified possible
causes of building failures and mishaps in the
construction industry based on statistical records, the
WG has decided to focus on the causes with higher
frequency and higher tendency as a priority area while
the others are placed as longer term goals.
The strategic plan covers seven sections:
1. General awareness of construction/
building safety
2. Strengthening role of regulating authorities
especially Local Authorities
3. Ensuring quality and independence of
Engineers
4. Upgrading competency of Site Supervisors/
Inspector of Works
5. Review the Code of Ethics for professionals
6. Clearer delineation of responsibility to
produce certain ‘structural’ drawings by by
architects and engineers
7. Enhance the accountability of contractors
General awareness of construction/
building safety
Since many of the causes of construction
failures can be traced back to non-professional
stakeholders such as owners, developers, land
officers, planners, occupiers and even financiers,
it is therefore important than these non-
professional stakeholders are fully aware of the
prevailing regulations in place and understand
the risks associated with construction works.
With this in place, land officers will be careful
when approving land conversion for sites with
adverse geotechnical conditions, ex-dump sites or
sensitive ground. Private projects will have to seek
professional input before putting up structures
even if they are minor in nature such as small
bridges, etc. Extension works to existing buildings
especially houses should seek engineer’s input.
The WG recommends the following general
awareness action plan:
a. Publicity through circulation of pamphlets
on the risk of building failures;
b. Make publicity easily available to
professional associations, CSR (Corporate
Social Responsibility) service counters
as practised in Hong Kong, to provide
technical advice.
Strengthening the role of regulating
authorities especially Local Authorities
Since several projects’ failures are traced to
incompetency of engineers as Submitting Persons
due to insufficient experience in a specific field,
local Government should insist on checking
by an accredited checker as provided for in the
Street, Drainage and Building Act, Act 133 for
certain categories of buildings based on the
height, complexity and geotechnical setting.
Act 133 should be amended to strengthen this
requirement as the current provision is only limited
to projects during the course of construction and
much discretion is left to the Local Authority.
Meanwhile, the Local Authority’s engineers should
be trained and updated with the latest technology
since they are the ones receiving and endorsing
the consulting engineers design drawings.
WG recommends the following:
a) To amend the Street, Drainage and
Building Act, Act 133 and UBBL to make
it mandatory for the developer/owner to
appoint an accredited checker for the
categories of property development based
on the size and complexity of the project.
b) Local authority engineers to undergo
mandatory training courses every two
years to update them on new technological
practices and codes of practice in
structural and geotechnical works.
Ensuring quality and independence of
Engineers
Of the 18,054 PEs registered by BEM as of
December 31, 2017, 10,425 were registered
as PEPC (Profe s sional Engineer with a
Practicing Certificate) involved in Engineering
Consultancy Practices (ECP) while the rest
37