### Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance 《消防安全(建築物)條例》

18. Offence to obstruct certain persons exercising or performing functions under this Ordinance
Any person who, without reasonable excuse, resists, obstructs or delays a person who is exercising or performing, or attempting to exercise or perform, a function conferred or imposed by this Ordinance is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 4 and to imprisonment for 6 months.

19. Offences by persons concerned in management of body corporate
(1) If—
(a) a person convicted of an offence under this Ordinance is a body corporate other than a corporation registered under section 8 of the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344); and
(b) it is proved that the offence was committed with the consent or connivance of, or was attributable to any neglect on the part of, a director of, or other person concerned in the management of, the body,
the director or other person so concerned also commits the offence.
(2) If a corporation registered under section 8 of the Building Management Ordinance (Cap. 344) is convicted of an offence under this Ordinance, and it is proved that the offence was committed with the consent or connivance of a person concerned in the management of the corporation, that person also commits the offence.
(3) If—
(a) a person convicted of an offence under this Ordinance is a member of a partnership; and
(b) it is proved that the offence was committed with the consent or connivance of, or was attributable to any neglect on the part of, any other person concerned in the management of the partnership,
the person so concerned also commits the offence.

20. Government not liable for certain matters
(1) A person to whom this section applies does not incur liability for damages only because of a failure to exercise or perform a function conferred or imposed by this Ordinance.
(2) This section applies to the Government, the enforcement authorities and all authorized officers.

21. Authorized officers not personally liable for certain acts and omissions
(1) An authorized officer is not personally liable for any act done or omitted to be done by the officer while exercising or performing a function conferred or imposed by this Ordinance if the officer did or omitted to do the act in the honest belief that the act or omission was required or authorized by or under this Ordinance.
(2) Subsection (1) does not affect any liability that the Government may have because an authorized officer has done or omitted to do an act to which that subsection applies.

### Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance 《消防安全(建築物)條例》

22. Offence to disclose information obtained officially
(1) A person who, without lawful authority, discloses to another person information obtained while exercising or performing a function conferred or imposed on the person by this Ordinance is guilty of an offence and is liable on conviction to a fine at level 5 and to imprisonment for 6 months.
(2) A person has lawful authority to disclose information if the person discloses the information—
(a) in order to exercise or perform a function conferred or imposed by this Ordinance;
(b) in connection with proceedings brought under this Ordinance;
(ba) in relation to performing a function, or for enabling or facilitating any thing or work to be done by any person, under any law of Hong Kong; (Replaced 7 of 2020 s. 59)
(c) in compliance with a court order; or (Replaced 7 of 2020 s. 59)
(d) with the consent of all persons who are entitled to have the information kept confidential.
(3) For the purposes of subsection (2), information that a person is entitled to have kept confidential includes, but is not limited to, information that concerns the trade, business or profession of the person or another person with whom the person has business dealings.

23. How documents are to be served for purposes of this Ordinance
A document to be given or served under this Ordinance may be given or served—
(a) in the case of a person who is not a body corporate—
(i) by delivering it to the person personally; or
(ii) by sending it by registered post in a letter addressed to the person at the person’s usual place of residence or business or, if the person’s address is unknown, addressed to the person’s last known place of residence or business; or
(b) in the case of a person that is a body corporate—
(i) by delivering it to any place in Hong Kong at which the body carries on business and giving it to a person apparently concerned in the management of, or apparently employed by, the body; or
(ii) by sending it to the body by registered post in a letter addressed to the body at its registered office in Hong Kong or at any place in Hong Kong at which the body carries on business.

24. Chief Executive in Council may make regulations
The Chief Executive in Council may make regulations—
(a) prescribing anything required or permitted to be prescribed by regulations under this Ordinance; and
(b) generally providing for the better carrying into effect of the provisions and purposes of this Ordinance.

### Fire Safety (Buildings) Ordinance 《消防安全(建築物)條例》

25. Effect of substituted or amended codes of practice
(1) If a code of practice specified in a Schedule to this Ordinance is substituted or amended, the substituted code or the code as amended applies for the purposes of this Ordinance only when—
(a) the Legislative Council has passed a resolution declaring that the substituted code or the code as amended is to apply for those purposes;
(b) the reference to the code in the Schedule is amended in accordance with subsection (2); and
(c) that amendment has taken effect.
(2) If the Legislative Council has passed a resolution declaring that a substituted code or a code as amended is to apply for the purposes of this Ordinance, the Secretary for Security may, by order published in the Gazette, amend the relevant Schedule by substituting the reference to the substituted or amended code for the reference to the code then specified in that Schedule.
(3) Such an amendment takes effect on the date on which the order is published in the Gazette or on such later date as may be specified in the order.