Question No. 5
Reply by Hon. D.P.H. Liao, CBE, JP, Secretary for Housing to a question by
Hon. Mrs. Pauline NG CHOW May-lin, in Legislative Council on 6 February 1985
QUESTION: Can Government inform this Council :
(a) the number of reported accidents involving laundry-poles in public housing estates in the last two years; and
(b) whether Government considers the present
clothes-drying facilities provided to estate tenants i.e. laundry-poles inserted into short metal tubes, safe and desirable?
Sir,
During the last two years, there were three reported
accidents involving laundry-poles in public housing estates
among a total of 500,000 flats. These involved two cases of
slight injuries because of falling objects and one fatal case
where an old lady slipped and fell off the balcony while
standing on a high stool. It is reported that she was
manoeuvring her laundry-pole at the time.
From the very small number of accidents reported, I
would suggest that the laundry-poles drying system is reasonably
safe. The present facilities are much favoured by occupants of
small flats where ready drying facilities are inevitably very
limited. They offer minimum inconvenience to users and
neighbours and meet the tenants' desire to air their clothes in
the sunlight, and so remain popular. Drying racks suspended
from the ceiling of the balcony are also provided in estates but
the traditional method of a pole in the sunlight is preferred.
Nevertheless, the Authority is continuing to look for
improvements and indeed on a number of new estates, new methods
for drying are being tried out.
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