According to a recent investigation by the Hong Kong Labour Department, the leading cause of fatalities within the Hong Kong construction industry remains falling from height. This is a pervasive and critical issue, with such accidents accounting for nearly 40% of all construction-related fatalities in 2024, underscoring a severe and persistent risk that demands innovative solutions. For The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited (Towngas), this statistic is not merely a data point but a direct operational challenge. Given the company’s vast responsibility for maintaining gas systems across approximately 18,000 buildings, its technicians frequently perform tasks at height. In response, Towngas has elevated safety innovation to a top management priority, championing a proactive strategy rooted in the fundamental principles of risk management.

The cornerstone of Towngas’s strategy is the prioritisation of risk elimination at its source. Where elimination is not feasible, the focus shifts decisively to risk reduction through enhanced physical protection. A prime example of this latter approach is the innovative “Canopy Safety Fencing” system. This solution was specifically engineered to address the perilous working conditions technicians face when maintaining services installed above the false ceilings of building canopies. In these congested spaces, even a technician standing on a guarded platform is at risk of toppling over the canopy edge itself, while falling tools pose a significant danger to people below.

The Canopy Safety Fencing system offers a robust solution. Its design, ingeniously inspired by everyday items like extendable clothes-drying poles and rolled-up posters, prioritises both effectiveness and practicality. It consists of four temporary, extendable supports and a roll of high-tensile stainless-steel netting, which can be quickly assembled to create a formidable vertical safety barrier around the open side of the canopy. This netting serves a dual purpose: it prevents a technician from falling off and contains equipment and materials, preventing them from becoming falling objects.

Crucially, this is not a theoretical solution; its reliability has been rigorously validated. Every component has been professionally calculated and tested, including a dynamic load test in which the netting successfully withstood the impact of a 100-kg weight, simulating a falling person and proving the system’s structural integrity in a worst-case scenario.

Ultimately, by prioritising engineered solutions over traditional reliance on procedures and PPE, and backing them with rigorous testing and real-world application, its approach represents a paradigm shift from managing risk to eliminating it at the source.

This article is contributed by Ir Cheung Pak Kin with the coordination of the Safety Specialist Committee.