"4S" is the abbreviation for "Smart Site Safety System". In order to uplift site safety, the Development Bureau (DEVB) has been committed to driving a wider adoption of 4S in the construction industry for providing a safe working environment for site personnel. Since the adoption of 4S at private worksites remains relatively low, the Government rolled out three new measures to promote and facilitate a wider adoption of 4S in the industry. I have invited colleagues from the DEVB to introduce these new measures, as well as the representatives from developers, contractors, subcontractors and construction trade unions to share their views.

Smart Site Safety System Labelling Scheme

As introduced by Mr Michael LEUNG, Engineer (Works Policies) of the DEVB, the first measure is the "Smart Site Safety System Labelling Scheme" (Labelling Scheme) jointly launched by the DEVB and the Construction Industry Council (CIC). Speaking at the launching ceremony and sharing session on related supporting measures of the Labelling Scheme earlier, I mentioned that the Government will step up its efforts to encourage construction sites to adopt 4S and hopes that all construction sites will compete to be "labelled" as those have adopted 4S will be issued a label for identification and ease of monitoring under the Labelling Scheme.

The labels will be placed in conspicuous places around the construction sites. For construction sites without labels, government departments will strengthen their routine inspections and audits, with a view to encouraging more construction sites to adopt 4S. It is expected that around 500 worksites will participate in the Labelling Scheme in the initial stage, and labels will be issued to the first batch of around 100 worksites in July this year and the approval will be largely completed by the end of this year.

Extend the funding scope of the Construction Innovation and Technology Fund (CITF)

The second measure relates to further subsidising the application of 4S in private works projects. The CITF has increased the funding support available to each applicant for 4S from $6 million to $7.5 million since 1 April 2023. Premised on this basis, the scope of support of the CITF will be extended to cover other relevant expenses of adopting 4S, including information technology support, upgrading the network capacity, manpower training, helping applicants obtain quotations for commonly used 4S products in advance from suppliers etc. arising from the use of 4S. To further support the industry to adopt 4S, the DEVB and the CIC have prepared respective packages of 4S products (4S packages) for different types and scales of private works projects, facilitating the members of the industry to choose suitable technological products for their applications by providing comprehensive product information.

Mandating the adoption of 4S in private building works

The third measure is mandatory. The Buildings Department (BD) has introduced mandatory measures starting from 1 July 2024. Conditions will be imposed under the Buildings Ordinance requiring the adoption of 4S to provide qualified supervision of building works when granting the first approval or approval of major revisions of superstructure plans of private development projects. For building works with an estimated cost exceeding $30 million and involving the use of mobile plants and tower cranes, registered contractors are required to adopt two 4S alert systems, namely the Mobile Plant Alert System and the Tower Crane Alert System.

The main function of both 4S alert systems is to alert operators of mobile plants or tower cranes, as well as site personnel entering the relevant designated operation danger zones of the accident risks using the automated warning systems, so that they can respond promptly and prevent hazards.

Members of the industry unite to promote 4S

Mr Clarence LEUNG, a member of Construction Sub-committee, the Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, says that developers hopes that every construction project can be completed with quality, on time and most importantly, safely.

Mr Kyran SZE, the Vice President of the Hong Kong Real Property Federation, says that the members of the Federation are mainly small and medium-sized developers. He will bring the message of promoting 4S to members, hoping that everyone can collaborate to ensure that all site personnel come to work and get off work safely every day.

Mr Danny HUNG, the Vice President of the Hong Kong Construction Association, describes 4S as a very good system that not only provides safety management, but also enhances the company's competitiveness. He explains that the entire system which includes safety, site personnel management, site progress and plant management, etc., can largely reduce the users’ workloads, and can quickly obtain the information required, which in turn enhances the company's competitiveness.

4S can monitor the construction site anytime and take preventive measures before incidents occur

Dr Derrick PANG, the Chairman of the Task Force on Smart Site Safety System Standardisation of the CIC says that in the past, when accidents occurred at the frontline, supervisors or other site personnel often indicated that they were not at the scene. He believes that after the implementation of 4S, managers can monitor the construction site on the centralised management platform at all times. More importantly, they can make enhancements before accidents occurwhen potential hazards are detected.

Mr Lawrence NG, the President of the Hong Kong Construction Sub-contractors Association, says that it is down-to-earth that workshops and consultation meetings with different industry stakeholders were held by the DEVB and the CIC to thoroughly gauge the views of the construction industry, so that the issues concerned by the industry could be gradually rationalised and consolidated before launching these new measures . He believes that the "4S packages" is the most successful example, as it will be a big challenge for small and medium-sized contractors who have less resources and manpower to choose from hundreds of products. With the 4S packages, contractors can choose the appropriate products according to different site situations or scenarios.

Mr WONG Ping, the Chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, thanks the Government for actively promoting advanced technology and believes that 4S is beneficial to frontline workers. An excellent example is smart helmet which enables the users to monitor the physical health conditions of workers and can locate them.

We are very pleased that representatives from various stakeholders recognised the effectiveness of 4S and hope that everyone will apply it widely and work together to uplift site safety performance.