The fire that killed at least 55 people at the Wang Fook Court development, in the Tai Po district, has reignited debate over the safety of bamboo scaffolding and materials used in exterior renovations in Hong Kong, a practice widespread in the city and present in several facade rehabilitation projects.
The use of bamboo structures in high-rise works is common in the former British colony, where structures held together by plastic ropes and covered with protective nets are used. These compositions allow buildings of several tens of floors to be quickly encased, but have also been the subject of interest because of their behavior in the event of fires and the difficulty of supervising the quality and origin of the materials used in each work.
In March, the government announced that half of new public contracts would have to use metal scaffolding, a measure aimed primarily at improving workplace safety and did not directly address fire risks. However, months later, Labor Minister Chris Sun indicated that the executive had no intention of banning the use of bamboo in construction, even though it remains the dominant material in many projects.
Engineers cited by the Hong Kong newspaper South China Morning Post They point out that although grates must have a retardant coating according to Building Department guidelines, this coating does not prevent them from burning if they are exposed to an intense heat source or if there are combustible materials stuck to or accumulating on the scaffolding.
In fact, according to industry sources, the law does not require grates to be fire-resistant, although it recommends their use. In the case of Wang Fook Court, authorities considered the progression of the fire “unusual”, as it quickly spread to seven of the complex’s eight buildings, which they attributed to the use of polystyrene foam to seal the windows.
Hong Kong police have arrested two directors and a consultant of contracting company Prestige Construction & Engineering Co Limited on charges of manslaughter.
The controversy surrounding the use of bamboo for exterior work is not new: last October, a fire tore through an office building in the Central District and consumed similar scaffolding, and organizations that support victims of workplace accidents have reported at least two other fires involving bamboo structures this year.
Organizations that support victims of workplace accidents have called for a comprehensive review of façade work practices and inspection procedures, noting that controls typically focus on worker safety, but not always on the response of structures to fires. Chief Executive Officer John Lee described the fire as a “massive disaster” and noted that the government would review whether ongoing projects meet fire protection standards and whether materials used in the works comply with regulations. He also announced that administrative and criminal investigations would be conducted to identify possible supervisory failures.
