Hong Kong has implemented a complete ban on smoking on construction sites, with authorities issuing a fixed penalty notice of HK$3,000 from midday on the first day of the new policy.
The Department of Labor is expected to inspect more than 100 construction sites across the city on Friday. As of midday, officers had visited 58 locations and issued a criminal notice, according to Labor Commissioner Sam Hui.
The new rule designates all types of construction sites – including those for the repair, maintenance or renovation of buildings – as areas where smoking is prohibited. Violators face a fixed fine of HK$3,000.
Contractors responsible for construction work are required to ensure that no one smokes on their sites, while those who fail to do so will face a maximum fine of HK$400,000.
Hey said authorities would not offer a grace period or issue warnings before taking enforcement action: “We will strictly enforce the law without a grace period or issuing prior warnings,” he said journalists in Cantonese.
The ban on smoking is among a series of measures that the government proposed in the wake of this year deadly fire at Tai Po Last November, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands in one of the worst fires in Hong Kong’s history.
Authorities previously said the fire was likely caused by smoking, citing the findings of an interdepartmental investigation.
In a statement on Friday, the government said it had launched a series of publicity campaigns to raise awareness in the construction industry and among the public about the new rule.
The Department of Labor will work with other government agencies to promote a smoke-free culture and support people to quit, the government said.
Hui said on Friday that authorities considered the HK$3,000 fine to be effective in preventing smoking on construction sites, but it would be subject to review.
He added that the government encouraged construction contractors to reward workers who had successfully quit smoking to promote a smoke-free culture.
