Hong Kong construction sector launches trial scheme to monitor workers’ compliance with safety measures in bid to reduce accidents
- Hong Kong Construction Association started pilot scheme on April 2 to record violations of safety rules by workers at participating sites
- Two-month trial scheme will cover around 100 sites with workers receiving points for safety breaches
Sources from the industry said the Hong Kong Construction Association, which represents 300 companies, had started the points-based pilot scheme on April 2 to record workers at the participating sites to see if they violated safety rules.
The construction sector has for some time been prepared to monitor workers’ safety performance in response to the rise of industrial accidents in Hong Kong.
It recorded 2,333 accidents in the first three quarters of last year, a 1.5 per cent increase from the figure for the same period in 2022.
For the two-month trial, the sector has included 15 safety rules deemed less controversial to monitor the practice of frontline workers and management. Depending on the severity of the action, the workers will get three or five points.
For instance, workers failing to wear safety helmets will be given three marks, while those operating machines without relevant licences and prior approval will get five points.
Upon reaching 10 points or more, the employees can take part in a voluntary half-day safety course and get three marks deducted.
If workers get 15 points or above, they must attend a one-day class and will have six points deducted.
They can also lose one or two points if they take the initiative to participate in safety courses or improve workplace safety.
Insiders said workers would not risk losing their jobs for breaching the measures. “It aims at increasing the safety awareness among workers … The principle is not to affect their livelihood,” a source said.
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The sources also said the association would not release the records, which would be kept for future analysis.
Sources said the contractors could arrange safety classes on their own or use courses offered by external companies, while the scores would be voided a year after the worker breached the safety rule.
They added that the association would submit their suggestions to the Construction Industry Council, which aims to launch a citywide marking scheme later this year.
Lawmaker Lam Chun-sing, also the chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, was concerned about the quality of the safety courses.
“If the contractors casually provide classes, it is of no use. It will give us more confidence if they are taking part in standardised courses endorsed by the Labour Department or the Construction Industry Council,” he said.
Lam added that employers should arrange courses for those breaching the rules as soon as possible, and it would be ideal if staff could attend the class on a working day.
Site checks alone not enough to fix Hong Kong work accident problem, unions say
Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims chief executive Faye Siu Sin-man said it was important to find out the reasons behind unsafe work practices.
“It is easy to record the marks of workers. But if their supervisors do not allow them to comply with the rules or even the company management does not encourage them to do so or rushes them to work, they also have to get recorded,” she said.
Siu added that the mechanism should allow workers to appeal to ensure fairness, while employers had to offer safety classes that could address specific unsafe work practices.
