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Edith Lin

Hong Kong bamboo scaffolding specialist Ho Ping-tak brimmed with pride as he recalled the many landmarks he had worked on since arriving from mainland China in 2000.
Among them were the International Commerce Centre in West Kowloon – the city’s tallest building – the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai and Kai Tak Stadium, which opened earlier this month.
“I have put in a lot of blood and sweat,” said the 50-year-old, who is chairman of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Bamboo Scaffolding Workers Union (Tung-king).
The city’s army of more than 10,000 registered scaffolders erect and dismantle sturdy bamboo scaffolding swiftly on construction sites, using techniques passed down the generations for thousands of years.
Ho said he was concerned that the traditional method would disappear amid concerns about safety, following a number of recent incidents.
The Development Bureau has announced that metal scaffolding must be used in half of the public works contracts for new building construction tendered from March 21, which would involve one or two new projects this year.

In February last year, two workers died when the bamboo scaffolding collapsed at the site of a 30-storey building in Kai Tak.
On January, 11 workers were injured when bamboo scaffolding collapsed at the work site of a new hospital, also in Kai Tak.
In the most recent mishap, a worker was stranded mid-air on Monday after being hit by falling bamboo at a site.
The bureau said metal scaffolding was safer for workers and took up only 2 per cent of overall construction contract costs, double that of bamboo.
Construction industry representatives and others in favour of using metal said it was also more fire-resistant and durable.
But Ho said safety issues often arose from tight work schedules and insufficient official inspections, and added that metal scaffolding also posed risks, becoming unbearable in hot weather.
Arguing to preserve bamboo scaffolding, he said: “It is Hong Kong’s pride … Why can’t the government see that?”

Eddie Lam Kin-wing, president of the Hong Kong Construction Association, said metal scaffolding might be expensive initially, but it lasted a long time and could be reused.
Although dismantling metal scaffolding on a 30-storey building could take up to a month compared with merely a week for bamboo, he said the project would not be affected much as other interior work could proceed at the same time.
He noted that while bamboo scaffolding was still widely used in Hong Kong, major developers had begun using metal for residential projects, concerned that accidents could hurt buyers’ confidence.
Hoping that Hong Kong would gradually switch to metal scaffolding, he said: “We have to face reality and progress with the times.”
But veteran structural engineer Ngai Hok-yan said that choice should be left to the market as metal scaffolding was not suitable for every site.
“Metal scaffolding takes up more space. Urban areas can hardly accommodate that given the building density,” he said, adding that metal was more suitable for large construction sites in the New Territories.
Noting that metal scaffolding could collapse if not properly installed, and metal fatigue or rusting could cause trouble, he said: “The risk still exists regardless of the material. They all require checks.”


The Labour Department has codes of practice for both types of scaffolding. Metal ones must be set up according to an engineer’s design, and any changes that affect the load on the structure needed professional input.
Bamboo scaffolding taller than 15 metres (49 feet) must be designed and approved by an engineer, and unauthorised changes are banned.
According to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, 12 of the 21 people who died in fatal industrial accidents as of mid-December last year worked in the construction industry.
Fay Siu Sin-man, its chief executive, said metal scaffolding left less room for deviation than bamboo, although improper work practices could affect both.
“If we cannot regulate people altering the scaffolding and we cannot change their behaviour, we have to stop the problem at the source by changing to a relatively safer material,” she said.
“Changing the material certainly cannot eradicate all safety risks. It still relies on an effective management system and a safety culture.”
She said the government should tighten checks on bamboo scaffoldings, and construction companies should remind workers to seek approval before making changes.

Wendy Ng Wan-yee, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists, was concerned about the city’s dwindling number of highly skilled scaffolding masters.
She said they build the temporary bamboo theatres used for Chinese festivals, which had been included in a list of Hong Kong’s intangible cultural heritage since 2017.
Ng said some masters became scaffolding workers during the Covid-19 pandemic to earn a living. Official records show fewer than 40 remain.
“If the demand for bamboo scaffolding disappears, the masters will no longer have the chance to practice their craftsmanship,” she said.


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Where will metal push leave Hong Kong’s ‘blood and sweat’ bamboo scaffolders?

Collapsed bamboo scaffolding at the  construction site of a new hospital on Shing Cheong Road in Kai Tak. Photo: Edmond So

Bamboo scaffolding is used in the construction of a building in Hong Kong. Photo: David Wong

Ho Ping-tak, chairman of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Bamboo Scaffolding Workers Union, has worked on many landmarks in the city since arriving from mainland China in 2000. Photo: Elson Li

Wendy Ng, president of the Hong Kong Institute of Architectural Conservationists, says bamboo scaffolders build temporary theatres used for Chinese festivals. Photo: Xiaomei Chen

Hong Kong firefighters rescue worker stranded mid-air on scaffolding

Hong Kong rescuers rushed the worker to hospital at around 5pm on Monday. Photo: Handout

Hong Kong bamboo scaffolders say switch to metal won’t stop accidents

According to industry representatives, nearly 80 per cent of scaffolding in Hong Kong is made of bamboo. Photo: Jelly Tse

Some industry leaders have that bamboo has many irreplaceable advantages over steel. Photo: Jonathan Wong

News

Hong Kong

Society

Bamboo specialists worry their age-old method will vanish, while others call for tighter safety checks


Bamboo specialists worry their age-old method will vanish, while others call for tighter safety checks.


Accidents and personal safety in Hong Kong

Hong Kong culture