Major Hong Kong developers are considering a blanket ban on smoking for workers at construction sites following a blaze in Tai Po that killed 159, with at least two companies already demanding that all their contractors impose the rule or step up penalties.
The Real Estate Developers Association (REDA) told the Post on Friday that it was gathering views on the smoking ban from its members, including major developers such as Sino Land, Swire Properties, Sun Hung Kai Properties and New World Development.
REDA member Henderson Land Development already requires all contractors on its construction sites to ban smoking, according to a source.
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Any workers who smoke on site would be required to leave, the insider said, adding that enforcement of the ban would be left for contractors to decide, including whether workers would be fined or fired.
In a video posted on Thursday that went viral online, construction workers at a site in Sham Shui Po were told they would be blacklisted from future projects if they were caught smoking.
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“If I catch anyone smoking here, they will have to leave,” a man conducting a briefing said.