Stringent safety specifications in the Housing Authority's construction contracts have led to a significant improvement in site safety, with the accident rate dropping from 55.8 cases per thousand workers in 2001 to 11.9 last year.

This year a site even had a clean bill with no accidents throughout the construction period.

Officiating at the Quality Public Housing Construction & Maintenance Awards presentation ceremony today, Deputy Director of Housing (Development & Construction) Ada Fung said the authority has adopted the principle of "conservation rather than demolition" in its maintenance activities.

Public rental housing estates are maintained in accordance with their life cycle and facilities are renewed and upgraded to suit residents' needs. It is hoped that, benefiting from robust maintenance and up-to-date facilities, the lifespan and economic value of the public housing stock can be sustained.

Since the Total Maintenance Scheme's introduction in 2006, more than 93,000 flats in over 50 estates have been inspected under the scheme, amounting to 85% of the public rental housing flats in Hong Kong. So far more than 150,000 repairs have been completed.