Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union: Open to Industry Transition from Bamboo to Metal Scaffolding

According to an RTHK website report on November 28, the Development Bureau of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region met with industry stakeholders yesterday to discuss a roadmap for promoting the replacement of bamboo scaffolding with metal scaffolding. The Bureau stated that participants agreed to formulate a clear, yet not universally mandatory, action plan. This includes the next step of identifying which work scenarios are more suitable for switching to metal scaffolding. Zhou Sijie, Chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, stated that the Union maintains an open attitude towards the industry's transition but has concerns regarding issues such as the storage and transportation of metal scaffolding. He estimated that a full transition would take over two years.

Speaking on the program "Millennium," Zhou Sijie said that metal scaffolding is more fire-resistant than bamboo scaffolding. However, once exposed to fire and reaching a certain high temperature, metal is more prone to collapse. He also mentioned that serious accidents have occurred previously overseas involving metal scaffolding. He believes the fundamental issue is not the material used for scaffolding, but rather construction management issues. Citing the Tai Po Hung Fuk Court fifth-alarm fire as an example, he raised concerns about why eight buildings were undergoing renovation simultaneously, how the risks were assessed, and why no one knew beforehand that the scaffold netting might not be flame-retardant and that foam plastic was installed on windows.

He further stated that the Labour Department and the industry have previously discussed switching to metal scaffolding. Metal scaffolding is much heavier than bamboo scaffolding, occupies more space, and storage is an issue given Hong Kong's limited space. Furthermore, transporting and erecting metal scaffolding is not easy due to many narrow streets. Regarding manpower, Hong Kong has approximately over 3,000 bamboo scaffolding masters and about over 2,000 metal scaffolding masters, with some proficient in both methods. As the materials and connection methods for metal scaffolding have improved significantly, he estimated it would take about a week for a bamboo scaffolding master to learn and master the skills for metal scaffolding. Additionally, the technical skill level required for metal scaffolding is not as high as for bamboo scaffolding. Therefore, the daily wage for erecting metal scaffolding might be several hundred dollars less than for bamboo scaffolding.

Wu Xinhua, Permanent Honorary President of the Construction Subcontractors Association, expressed overall support for the transition on the same program but believes it should be implemented in phases. For instance, metal scaffolding could be used first in new buildings where space is more ample. He mentioned that using metal scaffolding on older buildings poses certain difficulties because metal is much heavier than bamboo. Reinforcement using wall connectors, commonly known as "la mang," might not be strong or secure enough. Furthermore, while metal scaffolding is more fire-resistant than bamboo, it can deform when heated and lacks toughness, which also poses risks.