Authorities in Hong Kong have proposed a sweeping ban on smoking at construction sites, with hefty fines and potential jail terms for serious violations, months after a massive fire killed 168 people in Tai Po.
The Labour and Welfare Bureau, along with the Labour Department, submitted a proposal to the Legislative Council on Monday to extend the existing smoking ban from select high-risk areas to all construction sites.
The proposal sets out a penalty of HK$3,000 (£286) for individuals caught smoking or carrying a lit tobacco product onsite, as well as a maximum fine of HK$3m (£286,101) and a potential six-month prison sentence for contractors in serious cases.
The move came as public hearings into the cause of the Chinese city’s deadliest fire in decades began last week, revealing a series of failures that contributed to the inferno.
A judge-led committee is investigating whether fire safety standards at the site were inadequate and whether there were failures on the part of the government or contractors.
A massive fire tore through apartment blocks at Wang Fuk Court in the northeastern Tai Po district in November 2025, killing a total of 168 people, ranging in age from six months to 98.
“The proposed legislative amendments could mitigate the fire risk associated with smoking on construction sites and protect individuals from exposure to second-hand smoke, thereby enhancing the safety and health of workers,” the proposal paper said.
However, “occupied domestic premises and occupied private quarters by residents” would be exempt.
“All indoor and outdoor areas of a construction site will be specified as no-smoking areas,” it added.
The Labour Department said it was fast-tracking the legislative process and expected to table the amendment bill in the Legislative Council for deliberation by mid-2026.
The proposed changes would be part of a wider overhaul to the safety norms at construction sites.
The public inquiry was told that the fire most likely began after a worker lit a cigarette. Surveillance footage showed some of the workers pointing fingers at each other after the blaze was first noticed that afternoon. A worker was seen smoking on the rooftop but it was yet to be ascertained whether that was what caused the fire.
