Hong Kong aims to improve workplace safety with proposed heavy penalties for smoking on construction sites, with fines of up to HK$400,000 and HK$3,000 for workers.

Contractors could face fines of up to HK$400,000 (US$51,068) for failing to prevent smoking at construction sites in Hong Kong under a government proposal to improve safety following the deadly Tai Po fire last November. The proposals, outlined in a paper prepared by the Labour Bureau, aim to tighten existing workplace safety laws and impose a strict blanket smoking ban on all construction sites. Construction workers could face a HK$3,000 fine for smoking on-site, while contractors would also be...