A testing centre in Beijing has questioned the authenticity of a scaffolding net safety report for a renovation site in Hong Kong, warning that fraudulent documents using the laboratory’s name are circulating in the market.
Early investigations by city authorities showed the nets used for renovations at Wang Fuk Court – the site of last week’s deadly blaze that killed 159 – did not meet fire safety standards.
But the National Quality Inspection and Testing Centre for Labour Protective Equipment in Beijing issued a statement on Wednesday warning that fraudulent reports with safety testing results had recently been circulated.
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The reports claimed to have been issued by the centre but used its former name – the National Quality Supervision and Inspection Centre for Labour Protective Equipment (Beijing) – which was changed when “Supervision and Inspection” was replaced with “Inspection and Testing”.
“Our centre officially changed its name […] starting from August 30, 2021,” the statement said. “All reports issued after this date use the new name. Any report issued after […] that still uses the original name […] is a fraudulent report.”
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The statement appeared to refer to a safety report on scaffolding nets at Hong Kong’s Fung Wah Estate in Chai Wan, which is undergoing major renovation works.