The lead-in-water scandal has revealed that the Water Supplies Department's regulations governing licensed plumbers are outdated, according to a statutory body of professional engineers.
The Waterworks Ordinance stipulates that licensed plumbers are solely responsible for supervising projects - a practice that is no longer appropriate given the complexities of today's multimillion-dollar projects, the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers stated.
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"It's about finding the right person to do the right job," Chan Chi-chiu, the institution's president, said yesterday.
"There is nothing [in the legal framework] to prevent somebody who has very little experience from taking charge of a very, very major project, and that's not healthy."
Although the government's task force investigation confirmed the problem was caused by solder material in pipe joints, there has still been no clarification as to who exactly should be held responsible.
There are around 2,900 licensed plumbers in Hong Kong, according to the Water Supplies Department. But they are only given one licence level, meaning it encompasses a very diverse group of workers with varying years of experience, and there are no constraints on what projects each plumber can take.
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"There are many plumbers with many years of experience, and they should be honoured properly," said Peter Wong, a former president of the institution.
The institution, which released its findings in a report after setting up a task force to review the controversy, also proposed that the Housing Department should set up a certified list of subcontractors since under the current system plumbing contractors outsourced jobs to subcontractors themselves.
A judge-led commission of inquiry has begun substantive hearings into the scandal. It will hear testimony from witnesses including the housing minster, Professor Anthony Cheung Bing-leung, and Deputy Director of Housing Ada Fung Yin-suen.
This article appeared in the South China Morning Post print edition as: 'Outdated rules give plumbers too much say'
