Safety hints about preventing falling objects and enhancing site safety

For the sake of public safety, the Government has announced that scaffold nets installed on external walls of all buildings undergoing major repair works must be immediately removed across the territory, and works on the external walls must cease.  

In light of this announcement, relevant contractors and employers at construction sites where scaffold nets have been removed must pay particular attention to the following:

• Scaffold nets are primarily installed to prevent objects or materials from falling from scaffolds.  Scaffolds without scaffold nets are not considered safe for works on external walls.  Contractors and employers shall take necessary precautions to prevent any incidents involving falling objects or materials;
• With the removal of scaffold nets, work on or near external walls poses significant risks of falling objects, endangering workers in proximity;
• All debris, materials and loose items must be removed from scaffolding.  The stacking of materials or tools on scaffolding should be avoided unless it is necessary with good cause and adequate arrangements have been made to secure them; and
• Taking into account the increased hazard due to the removal of scaffold nets, contractors and employers are required to reassess and replan other construction works at the buildings.  This includes reviewing and updating task-specific risk assessments and method statements, and implementing additional safety precautions to eliminate or mitigate all foreseeable risks, in particular the risk of falling objects or materials.

In addition, the contractors and employers shall also take careful note of the following: 

• Scaffold nets are integral part of scaffolds.  The installation and removal of scaffold nets shall be conducted by trained workmen and under the immediate supervision of competent person(s) as stipulated in the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations; 
• No plastic strips can be used as toe-boards for meeting the requirements of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations; and
• A comprehensive smoking ban should be considered and implemented at construction sites.  If necessary, the Labour Department will use regulation 53 of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations to prohibit smoking in construction sites.

The Labour Department will closely monitor the implementation of the above measures. If any violations of the occupational safety and health legislation are detected, the Labour Department will take stringent enforcement actions immediately, including issuing suspension notices and improvement notices as well as taking out prosecutions without prior warning.