Key facts
- The task force will explore measures to improve construction industry performance, including body cameras for frontline workers.
- The Buildings Department found around 30 substandard columns at the Tung Chung West MTR station, per RTHK.
- The department asked the registered structural engineers to submit an investigation report and remedial measures by mid-November.
- The department said the defects posed no risk to structural integrity because temporary floor slab supports remained in place.
- A preliminary review found no evidence of intentional deviation from approved plans, the department said.
Hong Kong's Construction Industry Council will form a task force to review site operations to address work quality issues after a rise in discoveries of substandard work on buildings and infrastructure across the city, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn Hon-ho said on November 11, 2026. The task force will explore measures to improve the construction industry's performance, which could include requiring frontline workers to wear body cameras to record work.
The announcement followed a Buildings Department statement on November 7 that it had found dozens of substandard columns at the MTR station under construction in Tung Chung West, RTHK reported. Around 30 such columns were identified by the registered structural engineers working on the project. The department asked the engineers to submit an investigation report and propose remedial measures by the middle of November.
The department said it identified the issues during a routine site inspection and quality audit on October 27. After confirming two concrete columns were substandard, it instructed the registered structural engineers team and the registered contractor to investigate and carry out corrective works. The MTR Corporation has since ordered a suspension of relevant construction activities.
The department said the defects posed no risk to the station's structural integrity because temporary supports for the floor slab had not yet been removed. A preliminary review found no evidence of intentional deviation from the approved plans, nor any instances where follow-up actions violated relevant codes or regulations, it said.