Full-time safety directors suggested for construction sites

Yesterday, the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) met with the Standing Committee for the Coordination of Social Affairs (CPCS), with DSAL introducing the government’s amendment on construction safety ordinance. 

The amendment suggests making a change to the city’s current system of construction site safety inspectors in that the construction sector be required to have full-time working safety managers on construction sites.

The number of managers should be proportional to the number of workers on each site.

DSAL director Wong Chi Hong explained that the amendment recommends a minimum of one safety director on each construction site for every 100 to 200 workers.

If a construction site has between 201 and 700 workers, then the minimum number of safety directors should be two.

At least three safety directors should be available on site when there are 701 to 1,200 workers, and sites with more than 1,201 workers should have at least four safety directors.

These safety directors should be licensed and work full-time on the sites.

According to Wong, Macau currently has more than 1,200 people with a safety inspector qualification. These qualified inspectors will soon be registered as safety directors.

DSAL also proposed new guidelines requiring the operators of lifting machinery, lifting gear and lifting hoists to be registered electrical and mechanical engineers.

Registered civil engineers are responsible for the oversight of  digging, demolishing, and construction plans.

The suggested amendments have been proposed in order to improve construction safety standards, in particular those concerning work conducted at a height.

In addition, the government suggested increasing the penalty for infractions. Besides a substantial increase in the number of penalties, the government also adds additional penalties regarding the safety managers’ licenses, with such proposed penalties to begin operating between six months to two years from now.