The sight of Hong Kong’s high-rises encased in bamboo scaffolding may soon become a rarity after officials announced plans to replace the ancient technique with metal.

Bamboo scaffolding in Hong Kong. Photo: Wikicommons.

Hong Kong is one of the world’s last remaining cities to use bamboo frames for modern construction and building repair, a practice which dates back centuries in China and other parts of Asia.

Scaffolders in the city have long favoured lightweight bamboo as it is readily available from southern China and can be cheaply transported, set up and dismantled in tight spaces.

But the Development Bureau announced plans Monday to “drive a wider adoption of metal scaffolds in public building works progressively” to improve safety.

Bamboo scaffolds have “intrinsic weaknesses such as variation in mechanical properties, deterioration over time and high combustibility, etc, giving rise to safety concerns”, the bureau’s Terence Lam said in a memo.

Women Breaking into Bamboo Scaffolding Work – P H Yang – Hong Kong. Photo: 24HourProject.

Industrial accidents involving bamboo scaffolds have killed 23 people since 2018, according to official figures.

Comparable data for metal scaffolds was not immediately available.

Metal scaffolds have become standard in mainland China and other advanced economies, and will be used for at least half of Hong Kong’s new government construction contracts, the memo said.

The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims welcomed the move on Tuesday, adding that private projects should follow the government’s lead.

There had been frequent incidents associated with workers falling from a height, and with the bamboo lattices collapsing, coming loose or catching on fire, the group said.

Workers putting a scaffolding over the neon shop sign of Nam Cheong Pawn Shop in Sham Shui Po on March 9, 2023. Photo: Kyle Lam/HKFP.

“Even though metal scaffolds are double or triple the cost of bamboo… in the long run, improving sa