Contractor, govt depts blamed over QMH faulty lifts

RTHK - Nov 12, 2026

The Development Bureau has identified deficiencies and shortcomings by the contractor, professionals and government departments in the installation of faulty lifts at Queen Mary Hospital's new clinical block. Chief Executive John Lee ordered an investigation in September after most of the lifts in the 34-storey tower were sealed off. In a report submitted to the Legislative Council on Thursday, the Development Bureau said all 28 lifts in the building experienced problems to varying degrees. It said "verticality deviations" in the lift shaft walls and guide rails across different floors meant the lift cars could not travel smoothly. The centre of gravity for the lift cars was also imbalanced, and the overall workmanship quality was poor. "A lift operating normally will experience a certain degree of minor displacement depending on the load conditions. However, if the clearance between the shaft wall and the lift car is insufficient, it can easily trigger the lift's safety devices, thereby causing the lift to stop operation," the report read. As of Tuesday, rectification work had been completed on 18 lifts, seven of which were already in operation after passing inspections. Repairs for the remaining lifts were expected to finish within this year. The bureau added that ATAL Engineering Group, as the...

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