Hong Kong bans smoking at all construction sites after Tai Po fire report
Hong Kong's labour chief accepted an independent report on the Tai Po fire, detailing new site smoking bans, infrared drone surveillance and AI analysis. The government has revised laws and codes to tighten fire safety and enforcement.
Hong Kong's Secretary for Labour and Welfare on 29 October accepted an independent commission's report on the March fire at Wang Fook Court in Tai Po, outlining a series of measures to improve construction-site fire safety. The commission had identified shortcomings in the Labour Department's performance and made recommendations, which the department is now implementing.
The government has already amended legislation to ban smoking at all construction sites from 17 July. The Labour Department worked with the construction industry to issue guidelines listing reasonable steps to enforce the ban, including clearly demarcating site boundaries, installing surveillance cameras, increasing patrols of hidden areas, providing lockers at entrances to prevent workers from carrying lighters or tobacco, and reminding workers of the rules during morning briefings and induction training. Labour inspectors now check compliance during surprise inspections.
To detect smoking on site, the Labour Department has acquired drones equipped with infrared thermal-imaging cameras, which will be used for routine enforcement once trials are complete. The department is also studying the integration of artificial-intelligence image-analysis technology to help frontline officers identify suspected smoking behaviour, confirm incidents and locate the people and positions involved, enhancing enforcement effectiveness. Members of the public can submit photos or videos of site smoking; the department will combine that evidence with inspection findings to issue fixed-penalty notices and pursue contractors' legal responsibilities. The department has already secured successful prosecutions using public tips.
When prosecuting site smoking cases, the Labour Department will highlight the serious consequences of the violation and seek higher fines from the courts. If experience shows it necessary, the department will propose further legislative amendments to raise penalties.
To regulate high-risk temporary materials on external walls, the Labour Department revised its code of practice from 31 July, requiring that bottom guard boards on bamboo and metal scaffolding do not increase fire risk. Protective netting, waterproof sheeting, plastic sheeting, and tarpaulins installed on scaffolding must also meet Building Authority specifications. The department is actively participating in cross-departmental coordination led by the Development Bureau to regulate other site materials.
The Labour Department is setting up dedicated personnel in its headquarters to handle occupational safety issues for large-scale building maintenance projects, reporting directly to senior officials. Their duties include optimising risk control by using inspection results, accident records, complaint data, and information shared by other government departments to identify high-risk sites and adjust inspection frequencies, focus, and enforcement strategies. They will also promote cross-departmental collaboration, escalating high-risk factors or cross-jurisdictional cases to department management and, if necessary, triggering inter-departmental coordination or joint investigations.
The department has strengthened the content of the mandatory 'Safety Card' training course and launched a new course to enhance employers' and workers' understanding of fire safety laws and codes. The Labour and Welfare Bureau and the Labour Department will actively implement all the commission's recommendations, enforce the law rigorously, and work with other bureaux and departments to drive related institutional reforms to protect the safety of the public and construction workers.
