香港名物・竹の足場、消滅の危機　金属製の導入拡大を当局発表

【香港ＡＦＰ＝時事】高層ビルの周りに張り巡らされた竹の足場は香港名物だが、間もなく、めったに見られない光景になるかもしれない。当局が１７日、昔から足場に使われてきた材料の竹を、金属に置き換える計画を発表したためだ。（写真は、竹の足場の上で働く職人。香港で）
　香港では長年、竹の足場が好まれてきた。竹は、隣接する本土南部の省から調達しやすく、価格も安い。軽量なため、狭い場所での運搬、設置、解体も容易だ。
　しかし開発当局は、安全性向上のために「公共の建物の建設現場で金属の足場を段階的に増やす」計画を発表。
　担当者は竹製の足場について、金属に比べると「耐性にばらつきがあり、経年劣化や可燃性の高さなど、竹ならではの欠点があり、安全上の懸念が生じている」と指摘している。
　公式統計によると、２０１８年以降、竹の足場が関係した労働災害に伴う死者は２３人に上っている。
　労働災害被害者の権利団体は１８日、当局の方針を歓迎し、民間の建設事業でも同様の措置が導入されるべきだと主張。
　竹の足場での高所からの転落事故や、足場の崩壊、緩み、火災が後を絶たないとし、「金属製の足場は竹の２～３倍の費用がかかるが、長期的に見れば、安全面でのメリットははるかに大きい」と指摘している。
　業界関係者によると、今年１月時点で、香港の足場の８０％近くは竹製とみられている。【翻訳編集ＡＦＰＢＢＮｅｗｓ】
〔ＡＦＰ＝時事〕（2025/03/19-16:48）

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.
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.
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.
Even though metal scaffolds are double or triple the cost of bamboo... in the long run, improving safety brings much greater returns, the association said.
Industry representatives estimated in January that nearly 80 percent of Hong Kong's scaffolds were made of bamboo.