Ir Dr Fiona Chan Wan Yin
Senior Accreditation Officer
Hong Kong Accreditation Service

In alignment with ‘Construction 2.0’ — an initiative led by the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government — Hong Kong’s construction industry has been progressively adopting digitalization and advanced technologies to enhance its productivity, competitiveness and sustainability, by including, for example:

• Automation (robotic tools/machines)
• Innovative construction materials
• Internet of Things (IoT)
• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Building Information Modelling (BIM)

In support of the ‘Construction 2.0’ initiative, the Public Works Laboratories (PWL) under the Civil Engineering and Development Department (CEDD) of the HKSAR Government has been actively adopting digitalization and advanced technologies to enhance operational efficiency.

Digitalization Drives a Paperless Future

Digitalization plays a crucial role in improving the efficiency of public works contracts and construction site management. On this front, the PWL, along with their contract laboratories, have transitioned to adopt electronic test certificates/reports starting from 1 August 2023. Given that PWL processes over 600,000 test items annually, this move to paperless reporting is expected to save up to 2 million sheets of paper per year, significantly reducing environmental impact.

Automation Enhances Testing Efficiency

In addition to electronic reporting, PWL has developed new automated systems for testing concrete cubes, steel reinforcing bars and soil. By integrating high-precision robotic arms, computer vision analysis and AI, these systems eliminate manual intervention, improve accuracy and enhance operational efficiency.

Ensuring Data Integrity and Compliance by Accreditation

To uphold the quality and reliability of test data under the new paperless and automated systems, the assessment team of Hong Kong Accreditation Service (HKAS) conducted an on-site assessment of PWL. Among the mandatory ISO/IEC 17025 requirements, the assessment focused on data protection, staff supervision, record traceability and authorization of test results.

The automated testing systems operate seamlessly with PWL’s Laboratory Information Management System (LIMS), enabling:

• Direct data capture from testing instruments
• Automated calculations and analysis
• Instant generation of digitally signed reports

This streamlined process allows faster, more secure transmission of test results to on-site engineering teams. Additionally, the collected digital data supports the building of a powerful database that allows more in-depth and advanced data analysis, helping to refine material characteristics and drive technological advancements in construction. Furthermore, HKAS is collaborating with key industry regulators to develop a series of standardized test report formats (called the ‘Standard Forms’) for use by the construction industry. Adoption of the ‘Standard Forms’ will allow more accurate import of data from electronic test reports for facilitation of ‘Big Data Analytics’ in construction projects.

Summary

Digitalization and automated construction materials testing bring many benefits to construction projects, especially when a large number of samples need to be tested manually. Automated systems have higher reliability and repeatability, and can reduce the chance of human errors, as well as make more efficient use of manpower resources. The shift to adopt electronic test reports marks a crucial step toward a paperless culture in the testing and certification industry and also responds to the Government of HKSAR’s 2050 goal to achieve “carbon neutrality”.