Hong Kong issues 9 fines, 110 warnings over new construction site smoking ban

Hong Kong’s labour authorities have issued nine penalty tickets and 110 warnings since a citywide construction site smoking ban took effect last Friday, the labour commissioner has said.

A construction site. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

The enforcement action came as the authorities inspected 200 construction sites after the ban took effect, Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui told RTHK on Monday morning.

“Even if the evidence is indirect, or if we did not catch them in the act, as long as the information or evidence is sufficient to indicate they were smoking… we can issue a fine in the form of a fixed-penalty ticket,” Hui said.

The new rule was proposed and enacted in the wake of the Wang Fuk Court fire last November, which killed 168 people and displaced thousands. Investigations suggest that the blaze was likely caused by construction workers smoking at the estate, which was under renovation.

The ban designates all types of construction sites – including those related to building repair, maintenance or renovation – as no smoking areas. Offenders face a fixed-fine of HK$3,000.

Contractors responsible for construction works are required to ensure that no one smokes on their sites, with those failing to do so facing a maximum fine of HK$400,000.

Follow-up inspections

Hui said the authorities had issued nine fixed penalty tickets, while contractors were served four improvement notices and 110 written or verbal warnings.

A worker on the roof of Wang Cheong House, the first building to catch fire at Wang Fuk Court, on the day of the fire, dated November 26, 2025. Photo: CCTV footage via Wang Fuk Court independent committee.

For the four improvement notices, Hui said follow-up inspections would be conducted to check if the contractors had made the necessary rectifications, otherwise prosecutions may be initiated.

Hui also said that the industry had become more vigilant since the Wang Fuk Court fire, with many contractors installing surveillance cameras in blind spots to monitor smoking.

Warnings were given to contractors whose worksites had implemented measures to curb smoking but still had room for improvement, for instance when cigarette butts could still be found on sites where anti-smoking measures were active.

Hui also said that both main contractors and subcontractors are required to take measures to curb smoking on worksites. Main contractors must oversee subcontractors, which should conduct inspections and educate workers, he said.