Tai Po fire: inspectors failed to anticipate firms’ deception, inquiry hears

Government inspectors did not foresee engineering firms colluding to deceive authorities over the use of substandard renovation materials at a Hong Kong residential estate devastated in the city’s deadliest fire in decades, a public inquiry has heard.Andy Ku Siu-ping, a senior maintenance surveyor of the Housing Bureau’s Independent Checking Unit, on Wednesday blamed “systemic defects” for the body’s failure to rectify the use of flammable polyfoam boards and scaffolding mesh during a HK$336 million (US$42.9 million) renovation project at Wang Fuk Court.He said the unit, which is responsible for overseeing construction works at subsidised housing complexes, had implemented remedial measures following the fire, such as conducting site checks every four months, requiring registered inspectors to file regular inspection reports and using a computerised system to randomly select project works for review.