Il Nuovo Postiglione - Hong Kong's bamboo scaffolds on their way out

Hong Kong is one of the world's last remaining cities to use bamboo frames for modern construction and building repair, a practice which dates back centuries in China and other parts of Asia.

Scaffolders in the city have long favoured lightweight bamboo as it is readily available from southern China and can be cheaply transported, set up and dismantled in tight spaces.

But the Development Bureau announced plans Monday to "drive a wider adoption of metal scaffolds in public building works progressively" to improve safety.

Bamboo scaffolds have "intrinsic weaknesses such as variation in mechanical properties, deterioration over time and high combustibility, etc, giving rise to safety concerns", the bureau's Terence Lam said in a memo.

Industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolds have killed 23 people since 2018, according to official figures.

Comparable data for metal scaffolds was not immediately available.

Metal scaffolds have become standard in mainland China and other advanced economies, and will be used for at least half of Hong Kong's new government construction contracts, the memo said.

The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims welcomed the move on Tuesday, adding that private projects should follow the government's lead.

There had been frequent incidents associated with workers falling from a height, and with the bamboo lattices collapsing, coming loose or catching on fire, the group said.

"Even though metal scaffolds are double or triple the cost of bamboo... in the long run, improving safety brings much greater returns," the association said.

Industry representatives estimated in January that nearly 80 percent of Hong Kong's scaffolds were made of bamboo.

T.Cusumano--INP