Leveraging Technology to Promote Safe and Smart Construction Sites

AI is bringing transformative changes across industries worldwide, and using technology to support human labor has become a key trend in this new era—construction is no exception. Did you know that frontline workers are now equipped with smartwatches that monitor their physical condition, misting fans and sprinkler systems that automatically activate in hot weather or poor air quality, and smart devices that trigger alarms when someone enters a hazardous area?

Construction sites are complex environments, especially in daily management and risk prevention. Relying solely on human oversight can easily lead to negligence and danger. Therefore, integrating smart technologies can assist frontline workers in their tasks and help management teams formulate better safety strategies. As the head of a main contractor, I must stay abreast of industry trends and actively promote the adoption of new equipment and management systems within my company. Recently, we even established a central management platform to enable both frontline and back-office teams to monitor real-time site conditions.

Even one accident is too many—prevention is always better than remedy. In recent years, the government and industry have actively promoted smart sites and trained relevant talent, fostering a safety culture and driving the industry toward youthfulness, digitalization, and professionalism. Currently, all public works contracts exceeding HK$30 million have fully adopted smart site safety systems, improving site conditions and helping attract more young people to the industry, injecting new energy into construction. This also reflects Hong Kong’s push toward developing “new quality productive forces,” using innovative technology to upgrade and transform traditional industries and enhance efficiency.

However, each construction site has its own limitations—such as size, duration, and type of work. Integrating various technologies, coordinating service providers, and requiring professional monitoring all add complexity. Therefore, many details must be considered to further popularize smart sites.

At present, construction sites are like assembling a computer from parts—there’s no unified standard for system and device integration, which increases the difficulty of application and management. Moreover, the adoption of smart sites in private projects remains low, likely due to cost-effectiveness concerns. These projects are mostly building-related and have shorter timelines compared to public works. Even with government subsidies, setting up a comprehensive smart sites safety system takes time—at least several months—so usage remains relatively limited.

To address these issues, the Development Bureau and the Construction Industry Council launched the “Smart Site Safety System Labeling Scheme” a few months ago to identify sites using such systems and facilitate monitoring. The subsidy cap was also raised from HK$6 million to HK$7.5 million. Additionally, private construction projects involving tower cranes or mobile machinery and with estimated costs over HK$30 million are now required to adopt relevant alarm systems. The industry has generally responded positively, and I firmly believe that if system design and equipment quality can be standardized, and various product combinations are made available for reference and selection based on different needs, it will help the industry adopt these systems more widely.

Nonetheless, we must all understand that technology is ultimately just a powerful support tool. The most important thing is for every stakeholder to always remember the principle of “safety first,” fully understand their roles and responsibilities, and clearly define individual duties. Only through a multi-pronged approach can we significantly reduce the likelihood of accidents.