The Legislative Assembly (AL) yesterday passed a government-initiated bill aiming to protect construction workers’ rights, which states that non-residents can work as construction safety officers (CSOs) where there is appropriate justification for their employment.

During yesterday’s plenary debate in the legislature’s hemicycle, Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) Director Wong Chi Hong said that as construction technology is changing rapidly, it could not be ruled out that complex construction work or new technology will be introduced in the future, but the corresponding construction safety personnel may not be available locally.

Legislator Lam U Tou expressed concern about the circumstances under which a non-resident could work as a CSO.

Secretary for Economy and Finance Lei Wai Nong responded that the employment of non-residents as CSOs would be “exceptional” and stressed that the government’s approval process is rigorous, adding that the government will strike a balance between ensuring employment opportunities for local employees and technical safety.

Wong noted that the bill only proposes a minimum number of CSOs according to the size of each construction site, which would not prevent contractors from employing more CSOs according to their actual needs.

A number of lawmakers expressed concern about the professionalism of CSOs.

Wong said that the number of workers per site would be kept in check, underlining that there are, on average, three major inspections on each construction site each year, with a cumulative total of 819 CSOs and 470 construction safety supervisors at the beginning of this year, indicating that many construction sites have employed more CSOs and safety supervisors. He also pointed out that the construction site accident rate has been reduced.

In addition, according to Wong, the number of cases of non-compliance with the existing construction safety and health regulations decreased from nine in 2021 to just one last year, while the number of fatalities caused by construction accidents decreased from eight in 2021 to four last year.

Wong also said that the number of long-term incapacities caused by construction accidents declined from 42 in 2021 to 16 last year, which, Wong said, showed that the bureau and construction sites have taken various measures to reduce the occurrence of construction site accidents. 

Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) Director Wong Chi Hong addresses yesterday’s plenary debate in the legislature’s hemicycle. – Photo courtesy of TDM