Quality control: Buildings Department Chief Officer (Technical Support) Leung Siu-man says the new minor works control system will allow the Government to monitor the standard of minor works contractors.

The registration of contractors under the new minor works control system will start December 30. It is estimated 25,000 individual practitioners and 5,500 small-contractor firms will apply for registration.

In a recent interview with news.gov.hk, Buildings Department Chief Officer (Technical Support) Leung Siu-man said the control system will simplify statutory procedures to provide a legal, simple, safe and convenient means for building owners to carry out small-scale building works.

"The registration system will allow us to monitor contractors' standard and facilitate building owners' search for qualified contractors to carry out minor works."

Under the new system minor works will be classified into three classes according to their scale, complexity and safety risk, and will be subject to different degrees of control.

Class I covers complicated minor works, such as the installation of internal staircases, repair of columns or load-bearing walls, and removal of large-scale illegal roof-top structures.

Class II comprises works of a comparatively lower complexity and risk to safety, such as repair of non-load bearing external walls, installation or repair of external rendering or external wall tiles, and the erection of medium-size projecting signboards.

Class III mainly includes common household minor works, such as erection of supporting frames for air-conditioners, drying racks and canopies over windows.

Minor works practitioners, including corporations, partnerships, sole proprietorships, or (for Class III minor works only) individuals, can apply for registration as minor work contractors for the classes, types or items of minor works according to their qualifications and experience.

A company applicant has to nominate at least one person as the authorised signatory. If the applicant is a corporation, the board of directors has to appoint at least one of its directors as the technical director.

All individual applicants, authorised signatories and technical directors must meet the qualifications and experience requirements. The department will assess their qualifications, experience, ability and skill to carry out the items, types and classes of minor works for which the registration relates. Their past records of non-performance in building works will also be taken into consideration.

The department will notify an applicant of the result within three months of receiving the application. Applications involving Class I minor works or a complicated application will be referred to the Minor Works Contractor Registration Committee for consideration. A committee meeting will be convened within three months of receiving an application and the applicant will be informed of the result within three months of the meeting.

An applicant who is aggrieved by the result can request for a review. If the department subsequently substitutes the original decision with another decision, the review fee paid by the applicant will be refunded.

All individual applicants must complete a mandatory top-up course which will last up to eight hours. The course will familiarise workers with the statutory and administrative requirements of Class III minor works and will enhance their construction-safety knowledge. Other important issues, such as works management and corruption prevention, will also be covered.

The Construction Industry Council Training Academy, the Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi) and the Polytechnic University's Industrial Centre will provide the courses.

The Government will offer full subsidies to the first 25,000 workers taking the mandatory top-up course during the initial period of registration. About $5.75 million has been set aside for it.

Applicants can also choose to take the Basic Management for Small Size Contractors Course organised under the Labour & Welfare Bureau's Skills Upgrading Scheme. However, they will have to pay a fee.

Provisional arrangement

While company applicants with adequate qualifications can register directly as minor works contractors, a two-year provisional registration arrangement will be put in place for those who need to attend top-up courses to attain adequate qualifications.

The courses will be organised by the Construction Industry Council Training Academy, the Institute of Vocational Education (Tsing Yi), the Polytechnic University's Industrial Centre and Hong Kong University's School of Professional & Continuing Education.

The courses are arranged in modules to allow maximum flexibility. The course duration ranges from 28 hours to 66 hours, depending on the classes and types of minor works the applicant seeks to register for.

Self-employed workers with suitable qualifications will need to pay $155 for registration. An application solely based on work experience will be subject to a higher application fee, $305, due to the more complicated vetting process.

To encourage those minor works practitioners who rely solely on work experience to register early, subsidies will be offered to "early-bird". In the first year after the commencement of registration, such applicants will only need to pay a fee of $155. The remaining $150 will be subsidised by the Buildings Department.

The early-bird subsidy will cost $1.875 million and benefit 12,500 practitioners.

For company applicants, the registration fees are:

* $3,125 (for class I, II and III minor works);

* $1,705 (for class II and III minor works); and,

* $1,125 (for class III minor works).

Depending on the registration progress, the Government will decide when to launch the minor works control system. The current target is to begin operation in the first half of next year.

For enquiries about the registration system call 2626 1616 or email enquiry@bd.gov.hk. Click here for the system details.