A comprehensive smoking ban on all construction sites in Hong Kong took effect on Friday, with Labour Department officers immediately issuing a HK$3,000 ($382) fixed penalty notice without prior warning to anyone caught smoking on-site, months after a devastating fire in Tai Po killed 168 people.
The Construction Sites (Safety) (Amendment) Regulation 2026, the Smoking (Public Health) Ordinance (Amendment of Schedule 2) Order 2026 and the Fixed Penalty (Smoking Offences) (Specification of Authorities and Public Officers) (Amendment) Notice 2026 came into effect to impose clear legal obligations on principal contractors and subcontractors of construction sites and any persons on construction sites that smoking is prohibited on all construction sites.
“All types of construction sites, including those for building repair, maintenance or renovation, are designated as no smoking areas, except for domestic premises or private quarters that are being occupied by their residents for residential purposes,” the government said in a notification on Friday.
A day earlier, the city's nine major construction bodies issued a set of general guidelines on enforcing the total smoking ban at construction sites – a move the trade said is aimed at reducing fire hazards and safeguarding worker health.
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The Nov 26 deadly fire tore through seven out of eight buildings of the Wang Fuk Court residential complex, which was undergoing major repairs to the exterior walls then, prompting calls for the regulators to enhance oversight to ensure compliance with safety measures.
The legislative amendments that took effect on Friday empower occupational safety officers (OSOs) of the Labour Department to carry out enforcement work related to all smoking offenses on construction sites. Without prior warning, OSOs will immediately issue a fixed penalty notice to any person who does a smoking act on a construction site. Offenders are liable to a fixed fine of HK$3,000.
“Contractors and subcontractors of construction sites shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that no person uses a naked light for lighting, smokes or carries a lighted smoking product on a construction site,” the government notification says, adding that the offense carries a maximum fine of HK$400,000 on conviction.
The Labour Department has launched a series of publicity and education initiatives over the past few months to enable the construction industry and the public to understand the requirements of the smoking ban on construction sites.
The department will soon issue revised codes of practices on scaffolding, including setting out the material requirements for scaffolding toe-boards to ensure the materials used are of sufficient strength to prevent workers and objects from falling from scaffolds, while also reducing fire risks.
The department said it will also maintain ongoing communication with the construction industry to exchange views on reasonable steps to enforce the ban, adding that it has been collaborating with the relevant law enforcement departments to ensure smooth operations.
It will continue to work alongside the Department of Health, the Primary Healthcare Commission and other relevant organizations to promote a smoke-free culture through seminars and exhibitions, while offering support to individuals looking to quit smoking.
The guidelines issued by the nine construction bodies on Thursday include prohibiting workers from bringing cigarettes or fire sources into designated areas, and enhancing inspections. Construction workers must deposit their cigarettes and lighters at designated areas when entering worksites, while security personnel will enforce the rule at entrance checkpoints, with violators risking immediate removal from the premises.
Clear smoke-free policy statements must be displayed across worksites, and the designated boundaries of nonsmoking zones must be thoroughly explained to all workers during pre-employment safety inductions, the guidelines say.
