<p>香港当局已启动公众咨询，计划对消防安全法规进行全面改革，此举是在该市数十年来最致命的火灾发生六个月后提出的，建议扩大消防员的执法权力，并对管理公司和承包商施加额外责任。安全局和消防处于周二开始为期一个月的咨询活动，讨论对《消防服务条例》和相关附属立法的修订建议。提案涵盖六个主要领域，从消防安全系统检查到对火灾隐患的新处罚。“我们的立法提案涵盖六个支柱，旨在实现增强公共安全、监管一致性、执法有效性和问责制，” 咨询文件中表示。这些广泛的变更是政府对去年 11 月 26 日王福苑大火的回应，该火灾持续了 43 小时，摧毁了大埔住宅区八栋住宅中的七栋，造成 168 人遇难，约 5000 名居民流离失所。对该灾难的独立听证会揭示了多个政府部门在监管火灾隐患和监督当时的住宅区翻新项目方面存在广泛的漏洞。提议的法律修订旨在加强对消防安全设备检查的监督，加重处罚，扩大可被追究火灾隐患责任的利益相关者范围，并增强部门的执法权力。提议的变更还将收紧对注册消防设施安装承包商的监管，这些承包商被授权进行消防安全设备的检查和维修，以及从技术人员到承包公司所有者的行业专业人士。还提议对未能遵守部门在纪律调查中提出的信息、文件或回答请求，或提供虚假或误导性信息的行为设立新罪。这与扩展部门发出书面通知以要求承包商、其董事或合伙人以及注册技术人员提供信息、文件和回答的权力的提案相一致。有关当局表示，部门的纪律委员会目前权力有限，因为它只能对承包商进行谴责或将其从注册中移除，而无法施加个人责任。其他提议的变更包括为消防设施的重大停用引入预先批准机制。目前，注册承包商必须在关闭设备后 24 小时内通知部门。根据提案，他们在进行维修或其他工作之前，必须获得事先批准。关闭消防设施，包括水带卷盘和火警系统，在晚上 11 点到早上 7 点之间超过四小时的，需由建筑物的所有者或居住者，或管理或控制系统的人员（如物业管理人员）向部门申请批准。持续的停用从白天延续到深夜的情况也需要相同的批准，除非在迫在眉睫的危险或紧急情况下。注册承包商还必须在发现缺陷后 24 小时内通知部门，接到报告后，官员将在同一时间框架内派遣人员检查现场。有关当局还提议增强建筑管理公司在消防安全合规方面的角色。建议建立 “责任人” 制度，由业主或居住者，或管理或控制建筑物的人员指定一人，承担某些法定职责。这些职责包括至少每六个月安排一次消防设施的检查，并实施额外措施，例如在主要设备关闭时张贴通知，并在建筑物内显著位置展示有效的检查证书。咨询文件还提议对六项涉及易于核实的火灾隐患和明确责任的违法行为设定固定罚款，例如锁住逃生通道罚款 6000 港元，妨碍逃生通道罚款 1500 港元。此外，文件还提议加强对非法加油活动的控制，扩大消防员的执法权力，并首次对买方施加刑事责任，最高罚款为 100 万港元和一年监禁。销售非法燃料的最高罚款将从目前的 10 万港元和六个月监禁提高到 300 万港元和三年监禁。立法会安全小组副主席陈学峰表示，修订总体上回应了立法者加强消防安全监管的要求。然而，陈对一旦引入重大消防设施停用的预先批准机制后，部门的人力资源需求表示担忧。他表示，可能需要更多人员进行现场检查和文书工作。陈还补充说，数字化和人工智能工具可以帮助加快文书工作审批，减轻人力压力。公众可以在 6 月 25 日之前向部门提交对提议修订的意见。</p>

<p>香港已启动公众咨询，以改革消防安全法律，此次改革是在一起导致 168 人遇难的火灾后进行的。提议的变更包括扩大消防员的执法权、对管理公司施加新责任以及引入对火灾隐患的处罚。此次咨询旨在增强公众安全和问责制，重点是改善检查和合规性。公众反馈截止日期为 6 月 25 日</p>

<p>Hong Kong authorities have launched a public consultation on overhauling fire safety regulations, six months after the city’s deadliest inferno in decades, proposing to expand firefighters’ law enforcement powers and impose additional responsibilities on management firms and contractors. The Security Bureau and the Fire Services Department on Tuesday began a one-month consultation exercise on proposed amendments to the Fire Services Ordinance and related subsidiary legislation. The proposals cover six major areas, ranging from fire safety system checks to new penalties for fire hazards. “Our legislative proposals encompass six pillars and seek to achieve enhanced public safety, regulatory coherence, enforcement effectiveness and accountability,” the consultation paper said. The sweeping changes form part of the government’s response to the devastating Wang Fuk Court blaze on November 26 last year. The 43-hour fire, which ravaged seven of the eight residential buildings in the Tai Po housing estate, killed 168 people and displaced about 5,000 residents. Ongoing independent hearings into the disaster have revealed widespread loopholes across multiple government departments in regulating fire hazards and supervising the estate’s renovation project at the time. The proposed legal amendments aim to strengthen oversight of fire safety equipment inspections, toughen penalties, expand the scope of stakeholders who can be held accountable for fire hazards, and enhance the department’s law enforcement powers. The proposed changes would also tighten regulation of registered fire service installation contractors, who are authorised to carry out inspections and repairs of fire safety equipment, as well as professionals in the sector, from technicians to contracting firm owners. A new offence is proposed for failing to comply with departmental requests for information, documents or answers in a disciplinary investigation, or for providing false or misleading information. This aligns with a proposal to extend the department’s powers to issue written notices to demand information, documents and answers for disciplinary investigations into contractors, their directors or partners, and registered technicians. Authorities said the department’s disciplinary board currently had limited powers, as it could only reprimand contractors or remove them from the register with no means of imposing individual responsibility. Other proposed changes include introducing a pre-approval mechanism for major shutdowns of fire service installations. Currently, registered contractors must notify the department within 24 hours after shutting down equipment. Under the proposals, they would be required to obtain prior approval before turning off systems for repairs or other works. Shutting down fire service installations, including hosepipe reel and fire alarm systems, for more than four hours between 11pm and 7am would require a request for departmental approval from the owner or occupier of the building, or those who manage or control the systems, such as property management staff. Continuous shutdowns extending from daytime into late-night hours would also require the same approval, except in cases of imminent danger or urgent circumstances. Registered contractors would also have to notify the department within 24 hours of discovering a defect, with officers dispatched to inspect the site within the same time frame after receiving a report. Authorities have also proposed enhancing the role of building management companies in fire safety compliance. A “responsible persons” system has been suggested, under which a person designated by the owner or occupier, or by those managing or controlling the building, would have certain statutory duties. These duties include arranging inspections of fire service installations at least once every six months and implementing additional measures, such as posting notices when major equipment is shut down, and displaying valid inspection certificates in a prominent location within the building. The consultation paper also proposes fixed penalties for six offences involving easily verifiable fire hazards and clear-cut liability, such as a HK$6,000 fine for locking a means of escape and HK$1,500 for obstructing such a route. Separately, the paper also proposed toughening controls on illegal fuelling activities, expanding the enforcement powers of fire officers and, for the first time, imposing criminal liability on buyers with a maximum fine of HK$1 million and a one-year jail term. The maximum penalty for selling illicit fuel would be raised from the current HK$100,000 fine and six months’ jail to HK$3 million and three years’ imprisonment. Chan Hok-fung, deputy chairman of the legislature’s security panel, said the amendments generally addressed lawmakers’ demands to strengthen fire safety surveillance. However, Chan expressed concern over the department’s manpower requirements once the pre-approval mechanism for major fire safety installation shutdowns was introduced. He said more personnel might be needed for site inspections and paperwork. Chan added that digitalisation and AI tools could help speed up paperwork endorsements and ease manpower pressures. Members of the public can submit their views on the proposed amendments to the department until June 25.</p>
<div class="lb-trans"><p>香港当局已启动公众咨询，计划对消防安全法规进行全面改革，此举是在该市数十年来最致命的火灾发生六个月后提出的，建议扩大消防员的执法权力，并对管理公司和承包商施加额外责任。安全局和消防处于周二开始为期一个月的咨询活动，讨论对《消防服务条例》和相关附属立法的修订建议。提案涵盖六个主要领域，从消防安全系统检查到对火灾隐患的新处罚。“我们的立法提案涵盖六个支柱，旨在实现增强公共安全、监管一致性、执法有效性和问责制，” 咨询文件中表示。这些广泛的变更是政府对去年 11 月 26 日王福苑大火的回应，该火灾持续了 43 小时，摧毁了大埔住宅区八栋住宅中的七栋，造成 168 人遇难，约 5000 名居民流离失所。对该灾难的独立听证会揭示了多个政府部门在监管火灾隐患和监督当时的住宅区翻新项目方面存在广泛的漏洞。提议的法律修订旨在加强对消防安全设备检查的监督，加重处罚，扩大可被追究火灾隐患责任的利益相关者范围，并增强部门的执法权力。提议的变更还将收紧对注册消防设施安装承包商的监管，这些承包商被授权进行消防安全设备的检查和维修，以及从技术人员到承包公司所有者的行业专业人士。还提议对未能遵守部门在纪律调查中提出的信息、文件或回答请求，或提供虚假或误导性信息的行为设立新罪。这与扩展部门发出书面通知以要求承包商、其董事或合伙人以及注册技术人员提供信息、文件和回答的权力的提案相一致。有关当局表示，部门的纪律委员会目前权力有限，因为它只能对承包商进行谴责或将其从注册中移除，而无法施加个人责任。其他提议的变更包括为消防设施的重大停用引入预先批准机制。目前，注册承包商必须在关闭设备后 24 小时内通知部门。根据提案，他们在进行维修或其他工作之前，必须获得事先批准。关闭消防设施，包括水带卷盘和火警系统，在晚上 11 点到早上 7 点之间超过四小时的，需由建筑物的所有者或居住者，或管理或控制系统的人员（如物业管理人员）向部门申请批准。持续的停用从白天延续到深夜的情况也需要相同的批准，除非在迫在眉睫的危险或紧急情况下。注册承包商还必须在发现缺陷后 24 小时内通知部门，接到报告后，官员将在同一时间框架内派遣人员检查现场。有关当局还提议增强建筑管理公司在消防安全合规方面的角色。建议建立 “责任人” 制度，由业主或居住者，或管理或控制建筑物的人员指定一人，承担某些法定职责。这些职责包括至少每六个月安排一次消防设施的检查，并实施额外措施，例如在主要设备关闭时张贴通知，并在建筑物内显著位置展示有效的检查证书。咨询文件还提议对六项涉及易于核实的火灾隐患和明确责任的违法行为设定固定罚款，例如锁住逃生通道罚款 6000 港元，妨碍逃生通道罚款 1500 港元。此外，文件还提议加强对非法加油活动的控制，扩大消防员的执法权力，并首次对买方施加刑事责任，最高罚款为 100 万港元和一年监禁。销售非法燃料的最高罚款将从目前的 10 万港元和六个月监禁提高到 300 万港元和三年监禁。立法会安全小组副主席陈学峰表示，修订总体上回应了立法者加强消防安全监管的要求。然而，陈对一旦引入重大消防设施停用的预先批准机制后，部门的人力资源需求表示担忧。他表示，可能需要更多人员进行现场检查和文书工作。陈还补充说，数字化和人工智能工具可以帮助加快文书工作审批，减轻人力压力。公众可以在 6 月 25 日之前向部门提交对提议修订的意见。</p>
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香港公布消防安全法改革提案，开始征求意见