Fifteen contractors rated very poor on site safety
Bastillepost · 3 SOURCESabout 3 hours ago5 MIN
Summary
Development Secretary Bernadette Linn Hon-ho (甯漢豪) said 16 contractors were given unsatisfactory sub-ratings for site safety in quarterly performance assessment reports over the past five years, with 15 graded “very poor” and one graded “poor”. She said public works tenders are not decided on price alone, and safety-related marks account for about 30% of the technical score. According to official figures cited in the Legislative Council reply, the worst year in the 2021-2025 period was 2023, when one contractor was rated “poor” and seven were rated “very poor”. The government and the Housing Authority say they assess contractors through inspections, audits and surprise checks rather than relying only on accident totals.
Key Points
- Linn disclosed the figures in a written reply to a Legislative Council question on 21 October, covering quarterly assessments over the past five years.
- In the current tendering system, technical scores make up about 40% to 50% overall, and site safety accounts for roughly 30% of that technical component.
- Contractors with unsatisfactory safety performance can be ordered to improve immediately, have marks deducted, and in serious cases face tender suspension or removal from approved lists.
- Official data for 2021 to 2025 showed three “very poor” cases in 2021, one in 2022, eight in 2023, two in 2024 and two in 2025.
- Preventive measures include wider use of Smart Site Safety Systems and the Housing Authority’s requirement to feed safety data into the “AI+” monitoring platform.
Why It Matters
The figures show how safety performance can directly affect a contractor’s ability to win or keep public works business in Hong Kong. For workers and nearby residents, the government’s emphasis on inspections, warning triggers and technology points to tighter scrutiny of higher-risk sites after serious accidents.