Playground Hazards Due To Repair Delays: Ombudsman

The Ombudsman has highlighted the problem of playground facilities in public housing estates left unrepaired for extended periods – sometimes more than six months – posing safety risks for children.

The playground remained open awaiting repair work in at least one of the cases.

There are thousands of playground facilities in public housing estates around town, some of them jointly managed by the government and the Link REIT.

According to a direct investigation by the Ombudsman amid reports of damaged facilities, Winnie Chiu said in some cases, the time needed to consult residents or the Link REIT about the repair work caused a delay, whereas in others the Housing Department or the Housing Authority failed to take action despite substantial delays by contractors.

In one example cited by the Ombudsman, the contractor took three months to finish repair work, when it should’ve taken just four weeks.

In another, after officials spotted damage, it took them more than a full month to ask the contractor for a check-up, and during that time the sharp edges of the damaged parts became exposed and posed a safety risk.

Chiu recommended various ways to tackle the delay, such as quicker reporting of the damage, issuing inspection orders and stronger monitoring to ensure contractors complete their work according to scheme.

"If the Housing Department [has] put in a reasonable timeframe for each of the processes, and put these processes in a computer system, the monitoring will be much more efficient," she said.

The Ombudsman also recommended tougher penalties for poorly-performing contractors.

Chiu said the Housing Authority and the Housing Department have largely accepted the recommendations.