The Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union on Thursday urged contractors and workers to prioritise safety amid the pre-Chinese New Year rush to complete and finish projects.

Citing roughly 18 fatal accidents recorded around some of the city's major holiday periods between the years 2000 and 2024, union chairman Chau Sze-kit noted some of the common risks were from rushed work, such as having construction materials stacked in confined spaces and a lack of checks on scaffolding or machinery.

"Around the Lunar New Year periods, many constructions and renovation sites will be entering a shutdown period during the Chinese New Year and the pace of work and also the site environment, maybe all the manpower will be slowing down," said Howard Tong, the union's general affairs secretary.

"The safety risk will be overlooked by our workers, so our union just wants to remind all the workers not to rush [their work] during this shutdown period, because if you overlook all these safety precautions, this will be causing some physical and also some financial losses," he added.

The union called for a thorough pre-holiday inspection of equipment, while clearing escape routes, and securing loose materials and equipment at height to prevent them from falling or collapsing.

Workers should also clean up rubbish and flammable materials on site and disconnect unnecessary electrical supplies.

Proper briefings for new workers and avoiding overtime upon resumption are also needed, it added.

Regarding site security during the holidays, contractors should lock site entrances and storage areas, strengthen site patrols and monitoring to prevent trespassing or theft.

After the holidays, the union reminded workers to arrange safety inspections and risk assessments before restarting work.

Tong said workers are usually easily tricked by scammers and would submit their personal information, including their ID card and worker registration card and also their mandatory safety certification for construction workers to scammers.

He warned of scammers targeting jobless workers with fake job referrals or government scheme loans, advising verification through the union or police.