The Development Bureau has suspended the contractor involved in yesterday's fatal industrial incident on a private works site at the Peak from tendering for public works contracts pursuant to the regulating regime.

The contractor concerned was under the List of Approved Contractors for Public Works.

As the party that procures services for public works, the bureau issued a notification to the contractor concerned that evening to suspend it from tendering for public works contracts in the site formation category with immediate effect.

The contractor must conduct an independent audit to review its safety management system. Taking cognisance of its outcome, the contractor is required to submit an improvement action plan and implement improvement measures to demonstrate that it has an effective safety management system in place, before lifting of the tendering suspension can be considered.

The suspension from tendering is both confined to future tender exercises and those with procedures initiated but not concluded.

The relevant government department is investigating this industrial incident and will handle it in accordance with the law.

Subject to the investigation findings, the bureau will impose further regulating actions on the contractor concerned later on, including extension of the period of suspension from tendering for public works contracts and even removal from the list.

It reiterated that the Government attaches great importance to construction site safety.