The Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) today (June 17) provided an update on the investigation of the alleged falsification of concrete cube test reports by a laboratory outsourced by the Department.
Attaching great importance to the alleged falsification of concrete cube test reports, the CEDD has been fully co-operating with the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) during its investigation and following on the case. It has finished the review on the reports of concrete cube tests conducted by the laboratory from the time it started operation in January 2013 to June 2016. Please refer to Annex I on the findings.
Speaking at the media briefing, the Acting Director of Civil Engineering and Development, Mr Norman Heung, said that the CEDD, upon the ICAC's request, had been assisting since June 6 in the review on the reports of concrete cube tests conducted by the laboratory from January 2013 to December 2014. The review was finished yesterday (June 16). Abnormalities were found in about 0.2 per cent (or 116) concrete cube test results of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Section and related projects. The CEDD provided these 116 problematic concrete cube test results to the Highways Department on the same day. The Highways Department took follow up action immediately.
The laboratory also assisted other Public Works Regional Laboratories in conducting concrete cube tests for some 400 projects, mainly in the period from 2013 to 2014. The CEDD found abnormalities in 130 concrete cube test results, involving 55 public works projects (Annex 2), which is about 0.03 per cent of the total number of concrete cube tests under these projects.
From the raw data of the 130 concrete cube test results, the CEDD traced the test data of the concerned concrete cube tests that had not been tempered, and analysed the strength of the batches of affected concrete in accordance with the General Specification for Civil Engineering Works. The analysis showed that the abnormalities did not affect the final test results and the compliance with the General Specifications requirements. The CEDD is carrying out the aforementioned analysis for the abnormalities of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Hong Kong Section and related projects.
Over 440,000 concrete cube tests were conducted for the aforementioned 55 public works projects, of which 86 per cent were carried out in other Public Works Regional Laboratories. The CEDD has reviewed the results and no abnormalities were found.
The CEDD will provide results of its review to the departments responsible for the aforementioned 55 works projects. They will also study the need for further tests on the concrete strength having regard to the significance of the structural locations of the structures involving the concerned batches of concrete.
The CEDD has maintained close communication with the ICAC and provided the ICAC with findings of its review to assist their investigation. After discussion with the ICAC yesterday, the CEDD will finish by early next week the review on the reports of the last batch of concrete cube tests conducted by the laboratory concerned (i.e. the reports from July 2016 to March this year, when the laboratory ceased operation), and announce the progress and findings thereafter.
Ends/Saturday, June 17, 2017
Issued at HKT 19:37
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