Safety is the cornerstone of the construction industry. Ir Thomas Ho, Chairman of the Construction Industry Council (CIC), spoke at the “CIC-See What I See Luncheon”, “HKCA/HKICM Joint Conference 2024" and the “Lighthouse Club International Construction Conference” to share his thoughts on the future development of the construction industry. Over the past year, safety performance of the construction industry has drawn attention from the community. Ir Ho stressed that the industry must accord high priority in maintaining construction safety, and urged our practitioners to learn from the painful lessons.
Correct the Malpractices
Despite the achievements made in technological applications, digitalisation and sustainable construction in year 2023, industrial accidents happened during the course, casting a shadow over the industry. After reviewing the accidents that happened last year, Ir Ho shared his five observations on the practices of the industry, and urged the industry to correct the mistakes.
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On-going dynamic risk assessments is imperative. As site conditions are constantly changing, dynamic risk assessment should be carried out continuously to allow workers to identify risks quickly, and to take action to eliminate them as soon as possible.
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Industry members should pay extra attention to working at height to ensure proper safety measures are in place.
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Supervisors and safety officers must be diligent in conducting inspections and oversight to minimise the occurrence of accidents.
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Fatal zones with access restriction are vital. With increasing lifting operations, lifting route and fatal zones must be properly planned and set up to alert workers and to reduce risks.
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Site management are recommended to use “C-Helmet” to identify older workers of age 60 and above, and to give extra care by assigning personnel for supervision and support
Establishing a Safety Culture
Ir Ho believes that the pain point in construction safety is the result of lack of "safety culture". Therefore, measures such as holding morning assemblies are necessary to change the mindset of workers and improve construction safety in the long run.
Ir Ho emphasised the importance of starting the day with proper preparation. Inspired by the practices in Japan, Hong Kong Institute of Construction has implemented the practice of holding daily morning assemblies whereby workers will practice the use of safety harnesses to build up muscle memory through repetitive actions. Additionally, safety officers will then lead workers in groups to conduct dynamic risk assessment. The CIC has compiled reference materials for morning assembly and the industry is encouraged to adopt these practices to reduce the likelihood of accidents. A number of construction companies including Chevalier, Gammon, Hip Hing and Unistress have implemented safety morning assembly routine to let frontline workers build up a safety habit.
Maintaining construction site safety is a collective responsibility, and it requires collaboration at all levels. Site management should conduct regular site visits to understand the frontline conditions and lead by example, emphasizing safety from the top down and establishing a role model..
The CIC has designated 2024 as the "Year of Safety" and is urging the industry to prioritise the well-being of workers. Ir HO stressed that without proper safety measures, all efforts and plans would be in vain. It is in his hope that the construction industry will make significant progress towards safety goals in the coming year.
