Tai Po fire inquiry panel calls for bamboo scaffolding to be phased out

Other recommendations outlined in 627 pages of closing submissions include legislative reform and measures to curb bid-rigging An independent committee examining the cause of Hong Kong’s deadly Tai Po fire has recommended that authorities gradually phase out bamboo scaffolding in favour of metal replacements, among other proposals ranging from legislative reform to measures to curb bid-rigging. The suggestions were outlined in 627 pages of closing submissions from the committee’s lawyers on Friday, concluding hearings that started in March to examine the Wang Fuk Court fire. The blaze last November killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents. One recommendation urged authorities to consider moving away from bamboo and combustible plastic wraps to avoid accelerating the spread of fire once material was burning. “We therefore recommend exploring (and possibly funding and subsidising) a potential transition away from traditional bamboo scaffolding and combustible plastic wraps,” the committee’s counsel wrote.

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