**Epilogue**
The construction industry frowns at the enormous number of statutory provisions that construction practitioners, especially construction contractors, have to be aware of, if not to be fully conversant with. The Hong Kong Institute of Construction Managers and the Building and Real Estate Department of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the two collaborating organisations, decided to use their expertise on a collaborative project which would pull together the many provisions and, at the same time highlight the whole issue. The authors have evaluated and addressed the situation and have disentangled the "disarray" of statutory requirements so as to present them in a logical sequence relating to the operation of the construction industry and corresponding to the construction process itself. As suggested in Part I: INTRODUCTION and as evidenced by the so many Tables in Part II to Part V, it is a daunting task for any professional person to achieve even a modest comprehension of all the statutory requirements set out in the Tables. Yet, the Tables have only highlighted those key statutory provisions that the authors believe would affect the private sector of the construction industry. As a basic requirement, a contractor registered under the Buildings Ordinance has the prime statutory responsibility to be fully conversant with the Buildings Ordinance and Regulations as illustrated in the Tables above. It also has to be emphasised that this book concentrates on the statutory requirements only. To have a full picture of the legal requirements, a practitioner still needs an understanding of the common law principles and case law related to the construction industry. To be an on-going concern, of course, a contractor needs also to take on public sector works. Contractors and construction professionals, therefore, have to be aware of the set of administrative rules and statutory requirements for public sector works. Having reached the end of this book, the authors believe that their efforts will not have been in vain. At the very least, even if the content of this book has not helped some construction professionals to understand fully the statutory provisions in detail, it will certainly have reminded them of all the pitfalls and the care required to manoeuvre successfully through the legal jungle in their day-to-day work. Construction projects are becoming more complex and sophisticated. The construction industry is evolving and the expectations of society in Hong Kong are demanding a professional approach and professional knowledge from builders to a greater extent than was the case in the traditional tradesmen oriented days. For professional builders to practice in the current construction industry, apart from technical know-how, it is imperative for them to be aware of legislation in general and be well versed in some specific legislation provisions. Most of these statutory requirements aim to encourage quality works, to suggest good practice standards, to ensure the health and safety of members of the public and site personnel and to regulate an efficient industry for the good of society. The findings as presented in this book send a clear message that society, through government's regulatory actions, is demanding a great deal from construction professionals, especially from registered contractors. Contractors/builders require professional knowledge and corresponding support more than ever in order to successfully complete modern construction projects. The facts, compactly presented in this book, of the statutory requirements may help to convince the government and the construction industry to act together. To consolidate the different pieces of legislation and to make the law user-friendly is a worthwhile objective for the benefit of the construction industry while at the same time also injecting resources for the professional training of construction professionals in this area of knowledge. Finally, readers are referred to the Table of Statutes which shows a complete list of all the ordinances quoted in this book. The list may further illustrate the scale of the problem and encourage those many people with an interest in promoting efficiency in the construction industry or efficacy in legal practice to singly and collectively mull over what can be done to help in simplifying the situation.
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The construction industry frowns at the enormous number of statutory provisions that construction practitioners, especially construction contractors, have to be aware of, if not to be fully conversant with. The Hong Kong Institute of Construction Managers and the Building and Real Estate Department of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the two collaborating organisations, decided to use their expertise on a collaborative project which would pull together the many provisions and, at the same time highlight the whole issue. The authors have evaluated and addressed the situation and have disentangled the "disarray" of statutory requirements so as to present them in a logical sequence relating to the operation of the construction industry and corresponding to the construction process itself.

As suggested in Part I: INTRODUCTION and as evidenced by the so many Tables in Part II to Part V, it is a daunting task for any professional person to achieve even a modest comprehension of all the statutory requirements set out in the Tables. Yet, the Tables have only highlighted those key statutory provisions that the authors believe would affect the private sector of the construction industry. As a basic requirement, a contractor registered under the Buildings Ordinance has the prime statutory responsibility to be fully conversant with the Buildings Ordinance and Regulations as illustrated in the Tables above. It also has to be emphasised that this book concentrates on the statutory requirements only. To have a full picture of the legal requirements, a practitioner still needs an understanding of the common law principles and case law related to the construction industry. To be an on-going concern, of course, a contractor needs also to take on public sector works. Contractors and construction professionals, therefore, have to be aware of the set of administrative rules and statutory requirements for public sector works.

Having reached the end of this book, the authors believe that their efforts will not have been in vain. At the very least, even if the content of this book has not helped some construction professionals to understand fully the statutory provisions in detail, it will certainly have reminded them of all the pitfalls and the care required to manoeuvre successfully through the legal jungle in their day-to-day work.

Construction projects are becoming more complex and sophisticated. The construction industry is evolving and the expectations of society in Hong Kong are demanding a professional approach and professional knowledge from builders to a greater extent than was the case in the traditional tradesmen oriented days. For professional builders to practice in the current construction industry, apart from technical know-how, it is imperative for them to be aware of legislation in general and be well versed in some specific legislation provisions. Most of these statutory requirements aim to encourage quality works, to suggest good practice standards, to ensure the health and safety of members of the public and site personnel and to regulate an efficient industry for the good of society. The findings as presented in this book send a clear message that society, through government's regulatory actions, is demanding a great deal from construction professionals, especially from registered contractors. Contractors/builders require professional knowledge and corresponding support more than ever in order to successfully complete modern construction projects. The facts, compactly presented in this book, of the statutory requirements may help to convince the government and the construction industry to act together. To consolidate the different pieces of legislation and to make the law user-friendly is a worthwhile objective for the benefit of the construction industry while at the same time also injecting resources for the professional training of construction professionals in this area of knowledge.

Finally, readers are referred to the Table of Statutes which shows a complete list of all the ordinances quoted in this book. The list may further illustrate the scale of the problem and encourage those many people with an interest in promoting efficiency in the construction industry or efficacy in legal practice to singly and collectively mull over what can be done to help in simplifying the situation.