Upon notification by the Police at about 7.30pm last night (October 24) regarding the incident of broken glass cladding at the external wall of Citywalk, Tsuen Wan, staff of the Buildings Department (BD) was immediately deployed to carry out site inspection and found that a piece of glass cladding of about 3m by 2m at the external wall of the fifth floor of the building facing Wo Tik Street was broken. No obvious danger to the overall building structure was noted.

     As instructed by the staff of the BD, the property management company (PMC) of the building has arranged a contractor to remove the remaining loosen pieces of glass last night and would arrange inspection to the other glass cladding and carry out necessary repair as soon as possible to ensure public safety. The BD will issue an investigation order to require the owner to appoint an authorised person to conduct investigation and submit an investigation report together with a remedial proposal. The BD would maintain contact with the PMC to monitor the progress of the investigation and repair works.

     The affected pavement is temporarily fenced off. The BD will continue to follow up the matter to ensure public safety.

     The BD has specific requirements on the quality and construction of glass cladding. For example, the testing of materials and procedures before installation should comply with the relevant statutory requirements.  

     The BD emphasised that it is the responsibility of owners to ensure the safety of their buildings. Timely repair and maintenance of private buildings is the basic responsibility of owners. They may also be liable to criminal prosecution and civil proceedings if the building dilapidation causes damage to property or injury to persons.

Ends/Friday, October 25, 2024
Issued at HKT 0:31

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