Post-Typhoon Walk-Round on a 32-Storey Site

The hoist should not carry anyone. The findings are not equal in severity. The mast tie gap at 12/F is a structural finding: the tie connects the mast to the building and controls mast movement, so a gap means the tie may not be bearing as designed. That requires a competent person to inspect and correct before any running, not a visual judgement by the operator. Water in the ground control box is an electrical hazard; moisture can cause insulation failure, earth leakage or unexpected movement, so the box should be isolated and dried, and the insulation tested before energising. The bent 8/F gate cannot close fully, so the landing gate interlock cannot be proved to work; if the gate is not closed and locked, the cage must not move. The jammed ramp is an access and trip hazard at the loading point. The fact that the emergency stop and alarm work does not offset these defects. The correct decision is to place the hoist out of service, barricade the ground landing, and arrange inspection by a competent person and repair of the gate, tie, control box and ramp before function testing.

The sequence matters. First, a competent person should inspect the mast, ties, foundations and the repaired gate and ramp. The electrical control box should be isolated, cleaned and dried, then insulation and earth continuity tested by a competent electrical person. After mechanical and electrical repair, the operator should carry out pre-use function tests without passengers: all landing gate interlocks, the cage gate interlock, the emergency stop, alarm and intercom, the upper and lower overrun limit switches, the final limit switch, the brake, the overload device and the ramp. Each landing should be checked because the 8/F gate was damaged and other gates may have been affected by wind-driven debris. A test with a known load may be required by the competent examiner if the repair affects the structure or safety devices. The hoist should then be run empty through the full travel before any person is carried. The operator can do the routine function checks, but the structural and electrical acceptance must come from the competent persons; the operator should not sign off the mast tie herself.

She should record each defect separately with location, description and time found, and note the wet control box, the 12/F tie gap, the 8/F gate and the ramp. She should record that no post-typhoon inspection had been carried out and that she refused to carry the six workers. The hoist should be tagged and the ground landing barricaded. She should inform the site agent and her employer in writing, and ask for the competent person's inspection to be arranged. She should avoid the common shortcuts: do not dry the control box with a heat gun and energise it immediately; do not tie the bent gate shut with wire; do not run the hoist slowly to 'see if it is okay'; do not accept a verbal clearance from someone who has not inspected the tie. She should also avoid resetting breakers repeatedly if they trip after the box is energised. The record should be passed to the safety officer so that the restart decision is documented.