Authorities unveiled a sweeping new drive to fortify construction site safety, pledging to mandate advanced protective systems across all public works as part of a zero-tolerance push against workplace accidents.

Speaking at the kick-off ceremony of the annual Construction Safety Week on Monday, Secretary for Development Bernadette Linn said the industry had already seen measurable progress, with overall accident rates dropping by roughly 20 percent between 2023 and 2025.

That decline, she said, has been largely attributed to the growing adoption of the city's Smart Site Safety System (4S), which is now installed at about 80 percent of local construction sites.

Of these, 60 percent have earned the official 4S label.

Yet Linn stressed that the current momentum is not enough.

"When it comes to construction safety, even one accident is one too many. Our goal is to make 4S the standard configuration for all construction sites in Hong Kong — a baseline provision — providing frontline workers with a safer working environment," she said.

To keep pace with evolving industry risks, the Development Bureau updated its technical guidelines last month, adding three new categories of 4S devices to better cover high-risk processes across public works projects.

Anchored by this year's theme "Build Smart. Care with Heart. Own the Task", the safety push extends well beyond hardware.

The development chief emphasised that lasting safety rests on three integrated pillars — smart technology, a compassionate culture of mutual care among workers, and firm accountability at every level.

"Every frontline worker is a valuable resource for our industry," she said, calling for companies to invest more in worker welfare, mentorship for newcomers, and family-centred safety campaigns.

Offering a front-line perspective, Construction Industry Council (CIC) chairman Thomas Ho acknowledged the progress made but noted that the industry had already recorded 15 fatal accidents this year — matching the total for the whole of last year.

He pointed to the persistent "rush" culture on sites as an area requiring continued attention, urging project stakeholders to pause and assess risks before proceeding with high-risk tasks.

"All 15 cases were like this. This is the number one killer ... Among these 15 cases, many were not urgent. But for some reason, from the top all the way down to the foreman, it's always 'hurry up, hurry up'," he said.

While the adoption of the 4S has expanded significantly, Ho observed that safety practices have not always been fully embedded at the operational level.

He cited a survey by the CIC showing that 14 percent of frontline workers and six percent of foremen do not routinely conduct dynamic risk assessments — an area where further training and management engagement could make a meaningful difference.

"No supervision, no work," he said, reinforcing the importance of active oversight as a fundamental safeguard.

He called on management teams across the industry to strengthen on-site leadership and cultivate safer working habits, noting that sustained safety improvements depend as much on mindset and culture as on technology.



Edited by Tony Sabine