XN000022-1982-04-08 — Page 2

THURSDAY, APRIL 8, 1982

HEAVIER FINES FOR FIRE HAZARD

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FACTORY OPERATORS AND OWNERS OF NON-INDUSTRIAL PREMISES WHO IGNORE FIRE DANGER WARNINGS ISSUED BY THE DIRECTOR OF FIRE SERVICES WILL HAVE TO FACE HEAVIER FINES IF A BILL GAZETTED TODAY IS PASSED BY THE LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL.

UNDER THIS FIRE SERVICES (AMENDMENT) BILL 1982, THE MAXIMUM FINE FOR A WILFUL ACT OR DEFAULT CAUSING A FIRE HAZARD WILL BE

INCREASED FROM $2 000 TO $25 000, FOR FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH A FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT NOTICE, FROM $2 000 PLUS $40 A DAY FOR A CONTINUING OFFENCE TO $25 000 PLUS $2 500 A DAY, AND FOR KNOWINGLY CONTRAVENING A FIRE HAZARD ORDER, FROM $4 000 PLUS $100 A DAY TO $50 000 PLUS $5 000 A DAY,

A GOVERNMENT SPOKESMAN EXPLAINED THAT THESE INCREASED FINES, PARTICULARLY THOSE STIPULATING A DAILY PENALTY, ARE AIMED AT SERIOUS OFFENCES WHICH INVOLVE DELIBERATE DISREGARD OF THE LAW, MAKING FIRE FIGHTING UNNECESSARILY DIFFICULT AND DANGEROUS AND RESULTING IN HEAVY LOSS OF LIFE AND PROPERTY.

THE LEVEL OF THE DAILY FINES IS IN LINE WITH THAT FOR CONTINUING OFFENCES OF COMPARABLE SERIOUSNESS UNDER THE BUILDINGS ORDINANCE.

THE PROPOSED FINES ARE MAXIMUM PERMISSIBLE FINES AND IT WILL BE FOR THE COURTS TO DETERMINE IN EACH CASE, HAVING REGARD TO THE SERIOUSNESS OF THE OFFENCE, WHAT ACTUAL FINES TO IMPOSE, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

ACCORDING TO STATISTICS FOR 1981 COMPILED BY THE FIRE SERVICES DEPARTMENT, A TOTAL OF 2 563 FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT NOTICES WERE ISSUED TO OCCUPANTS OF INDUSTRIAL PREMISES,

OF WHICH 1 080 OR 42 PER CENT WERE PROSECUTED AND 8 263 TO THOSE OF NON-INDUSTRIAL PREMISES, OF WHICH 765 OR 9 PER CENT WERE

PROSECUTED.

THIS SUGGESTS THAT FACTORY OPERATORS ARE GENERALLY MORE PRONE TO IGNORE FIRE HAZARD ABATEMENT NOTICES, THE SPOKESMAN SAID.

A SAMPLE SURVEY CONDUCTED BY THE GOVERNMENT IN AUGUST 1981 ALSO SHOWED THAT THE PRACTICE OF STORING GOODS AND MATERIALS IN THE COMMON AREAS OF INDUSTRIAL BUILDINGS WAS WIDESPREAD.

THE SURVEY COVERED THREE MAJOR INDUSTRIAL AREAS (KAI TAK/ SAN PO KONG, NGAU TAU KOK/KWUN TONG AND KWAI CHUNG/TSUEN WAN) IN WHICH ABOUT 60 PER CENT OF THE TOTAL FLOOR AREA OF FACTORY AND STORAGE SPACE IN HONG KONG WAS SITUATED.

ON 84 PER CENT OF THE 339 FLOORS SURVEYED, OBSTRUCTIONS WERE FOUND IN THE COMMON AREAS, ABOUT 40 PER CENT OF THE 909 ESTABLISHMENTS HOUSED ON THE FLOORS SURVEYED HAD OBSTRUCTIONS IN THE DOORWAYS INSIDE THEIR PREMISES, AND ABOUT 9 PER CENT OF THESE ESTABLISHMENTS HAD OBSTRUCTIONS IN OTHER PASSAGEWAYS INSIDE.

THE GOVERNMENT