All-round Implementation of Construction Site Safety Measures

The CIC has designated this year as the "Year of Construction Safety" and it is our top priority to proactively promote construction site safety. The "Smart Site Safety System Labelling Scheme", launched jointly by the CIC and the Development Bureau last month, is an important milestone that shows our firm commitment to construction site safety.

By the end of May this year, the CIC had organised and co-organised multiple safety-related activities, such as forums, seminars and masterclasses, to spread the safety culture. My colleagues and I have continued to attend construction safety assemblies at many sites, delivering safety information to frontline workers and promoting the principle of "Life First, Say No to Danger" to the industry through all channels.

"Smart Site Safety Labelling Scheme" Launched

In order to accelerate the adoption of the "Smart Site Safety System" (4S) in the industry and enable construction site personnel to work in a safer environment, the Development Bureau and the CIC jointly launched the "Smart Site Safety System Labelling Scheme" (the Scheme) in late May.

At the launching ceremony on May 20, representatives from the Development Bureau, Buildings Department, and the CIC elaborated on the key points of the Scheme. The event was attended by members of the Legislative Council as well as representatives of government departments, statutory bodies, developers' associations, professional bodies, contractors and subcontractors' associations, and construction trade unions, demonstrating the wide interest and concern of the stakeholders in the Scheme.

The key points of the Scheme presented at the ceremony include:

• The Scheme is open to all construction sites in Hong Kong to apply. If it is confirmed that the site has properly implemented 4S to address hazards, it will be awarded a label. These sites should report annually to the CIC on the latest application of 4S. Information about the labelled sites, including project owner, contractor, site name and address, will be uploaded to the CIC's website for public access.
• The Development Bureau and the CIC will propose recommended 4S product packages suitable for different types and scales of private projects, covering building construction, maintenance and repair, land surveying, building demolition, site formation, etc., to assist the industry in obtaining quotations and procuring 4S from suppliers. The CIC will also organise training courses on the planning and implementation of 4S, and provide the latest relevant information.
• Effective from July 1st, the Buildings Department will introduce mandatory measures. Conditions will be imposed under the Buildings Ordinance requiring the adoption of 4S to provide qualified supervision of building works when granting the first approval or major revisions of superstructure plans of private development projects. For building works with estimated cost exceeding $30 million and involving the use of mobile plants and tower cranes, registered contractors are required to adopt relevant 4S alert systems.
• The Construction Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF) has expanded its funding scope to cover various aspects of the application of 4S, and will subsidise related additional expenses such as network capacity, additional manpower, maintenance, and technical support, providing more flexibility and support to the industry.

For sites without the label, the Development Bureau has indicated that government departments will pay closer attention during routine inspections and assessments. I suggest corporations in our industry, especially SMEs, make good use of the one-on-one advisory service provided by CITF to speed up the implementation of 4S.

Promoting a Culture of Caring and "Help Yourself, Help Others"

Innovation does not stop with technological means, cultural change and incentive schemes can also promote a culture of safety. At last month’s CIC activity, CIC invited Mr. CHOY Hon-ping, Chairman and Managing Director of Hip Seng Construction, to speak to attendees about caring culture and governance. He pointed out that Hip Seng Construction is committed to a caring management culture that emphasizes the safety and well-being of each artisan, so that artisans can fully utilse their expertise, strive for quality and achieve excellence in a safe and caring environment. He suggested that all artisans on the site, regardless of their employment status, should be treated as family members and a sense of belonging and team spirit should be created.

As a main contractor, Hip Seng Construction requires sites to be well-lit and tidy. Water bottles and drinking water, hygienic and reasonably priced meals, clean toilets for workers should be provided. Hip Seng Construction regularly visits subcontractors to discuss the details of implementing and improving safety measures. A 24-hour "Help Yourself, Help Others" hotline has been set up, and an incentive scheme has been introduced to encourage workers to report safety hazards on the construction site; at the same time, workers who correct their mistakes are rewarded to recognise their change in behaviour and attitude. The ideas and measures implemented by Hip Seng Construction to enhance safety are refreshing and thoughtful. I hope that more construction practitioners will not hesitate to share their insights, so that the industry can move forward together.

CIC Masterclass in Safety Leadership Culture Nurtured Safety Leaders

The CIC has curated safety culture masterclasses for practitioners in different positions, including the "Safety Leadership Culture" course suitable for senior executives and project directors, the "Design for Safety (Management Personnel)" course for managers, and the "Design for Safety (General Construction Personnel)" course suitable for all.

The "Construction Safety Leadership Culture" Masterclass was successfully completed last month. The course invited Mr. CHIANG Tung-keung, Chief Executive Officer of CLP Holdings, to teach the essence of safety leadership culture. He explained the strategies for enhancing safety culture, and emphasised the importance of integrating site safety into the management system. He also presented methods to reduce and transfer safety risks, such as using robots to replace high-risk manual tasks and reducing safety hazards from the origin through proper design. In addition, he suggested that the senior management should lead by example, explaining safety information directly to front-line workers in the field, using interactive communication and active listening to reduce the likelihood of accidents. The students were fully engaged in classroom learning and group presentations, and successfully completed the course. I have high expectations of the students and I believe they have learnt some tips from their peers on how to promote a culture of safety.

During the lecture, I suggested the students make more appearances at the site and promote safety messages directly, so that front-line workers can see that the company's management is very concerned about safety. I believe that the students will set a good example in their workplaces and that safety awareness will spread to all levels of their companies.

Safety is everyone's responsibility, from management to front-line workers. Everyone should take their full responsibility and uphold the principle of "Inspection for Protection and Smooth Handover".

I would like to remind all practitioners about the followings:

On the management side, senior management should communicate regularly with business partners, clearly request them to pay attention to safety, and include safety standards and requirements in contract terms to create a safe working environment. Internally, senior management should proactively lead the safety culture and guide employees to work safely.

On the technical side, please adopt 4S, choose metal scaffolding and use robots to perform high-risk tasks. In the long run, these measures can improve speed and efficiency.

For onsite operations, please make good use of the construction safety assembly to refresh workers' muscle memory from the double lanyard training. Thorough preparation for safety briefings, dynamic pre-work risk assessments and pre-identification of potential risks are essential. If the actual site conditions differ from the construction plan, work should be stopped immediately. Implement "P", "N" and "C" Label Caring Programme  to provide more guidance for new workers and care for older workers.

Even one construction accident is too many. There is no such thing as absolute safety and there is always room for improvement. I sincerely hope that everyone will keep this in mind so that the safety of all site personnel can be fully protected.