The speed at which buildings are torn down, scaffolding put up; the speed at which buildings are replaced and then newly unveiled, is quite frankly frightening for a small town girl like me who is used to seeing vacant, boxed up buildings sit and wait to be wanted again. Of course, the reason why Hong Kong is doing so well must be connected to this constant rotation and refurbishment, but there are down sides too. One is that lodgers have very little say in what will happen to their building - and therefore their apartment. Recently, two HK friends were told they had one month, and two weeks respectively, to pack up and move out of their current abodes which were going to be demolished and rebuilt into more expensive apartments. The other teeny problem with having construction work spread every five yards, is that there are constantly holes in the ground, cranes in the air and hundreds of construction workers dangling from long thin ropes. At simple stroll around HK feels like you are participating in the ‘before’ sequence of a health and safety video for the construction industry. The only problem is, there is no ‘after’ video. Big bad noisy machinery, and workers without harnesses who scale the 23rd floors of crumbling buildings, certainly make for some scary sights.
To make things a little more nerve-wracking, bamboo is the material of choice for scaffolding in Hong Kong. Clearly there are some advantages in terms of sustainability, cost, and yes; when you get bamboo in your stir- fry it’s pretty tough to chew through. But does this plant really qualify it as the most durable product to hold the weight of teams of construction workers and their equipment? Two architect friends I have met here remain unconvinced. They are especially dubious of the thin plastic ties which hold the bamboo poles together. When the workers are done with the renovation, some brave chap climbs to the top, snips the plastic ties, and throws the bamboo down to another guy waiting on the street (who shouts and waves at you to watch out). Surviving HK tip #34: beware of falling bamboo or read more about it here.
While most street level citizens seem nonchalant toward this precarious scaffolding process, there are other Health and Safety issues on ground level which get more attention: signs in toilets show a 10 stage step- by- step aid to hand washing; cartoon stickers stuck to bus windows remind you to "Maintain cough manners" whilst travelling. Essentially, the key to all these announcements is to stop germs spreading around the city. It doesn’t take long to notice people walking around wearing face masks. Initially I assumed that people were covering their mouths to limit the intake of hazy HK air; in fact, they are trying to limit infection. The masks are made of strange powdery paper, cover 70% of the face and are kept in place with elastic straps pulled tight around the ears. Needless to say, in the sense that they scream “stay away”, the masks succeed in stopping some germs spreading. Despite the pretty off putting appearance, the masks are incredibly popular. Sometimes, when you're following the MTR subway route, the bright white corridors filled with people dashing around in medical masks makes you feel like you’re on the set of the HK version of Holby City (minus the snogging). I did once see a lady wearing a customised denim mask with diamante detail. It just goes to show that while the Cantonese do follow rules; they do put style above most things.
Certainly this mass mask wearing seemed a little obsessive at first, but the longer I’ve spent here, the more I understand about the city’s insecurities with the SARS virus. Hong Kong was hit by the epidemic in 2003, and it killed 300 people in total (actually a very small number considering how densely populated these parts are). So, to avoid something similar happening again, medical masks are taken very seriously (a little less so by the expat community, need I add).
Other HK public safety warnings fail to earn the same level of understanding on my part. One particular campaign on the underground features a cartoon penguin cut out who stands by the escalators and reminds HK residents to hold onto the handrail. While we’ve all imagined the dreaded domino effect, starting from the back and wiping out the entire escalator line, but in most cases people work out a way for that not to happen. Always ready with a Health and Safety solution, the HK MTR has introduced Smiley the friendly penguin mascot who, it is hoped, “will not only put a smile on your face, but also remind passengers how to ride escalators safely”. The annoying penguin voiceover lady repeats over and over to: "Hold the handrail and stand still" or "Stand still and keep away from the edge”. There are even bight green footprints painted onto the escalator steps, guiding you on where you should place your feet. Apparently the most outrageous thing that a HK citizens could possibly do on the escalator would be to wear flip flops or, heaven forbid, crocs. Yes, croc clogs are ugly, and maybe they do fail risk assessments because they expose the toes, but does this extra risk really require another extensive billboard, poster, banner and digital advertising anti crocs campaign? And why doesn’t anyone want to warn us about construction men falling from the sky instead?
The best way to appreciate HK’s bizarre schizophrenic attitude to Health and Safety regulations is to go and visit another country in South East Asia for a few days and then come back. Recent trips to Philippines where tens of people pack into crowded Jeepney’s with limited seating and Thailand where whole families travel on one scooter with maybe a helmet between them. To come back to Hong Kong and notice the sheer abundance of signs which lead you almost by the hand out from the airport and into to the city, ensuring you hold on to everything available and keep your eyes firmly ahead to avoid slipping. Perhaps all this over the top parenting is a deliberate ploy to ensure you focus on your journey instead of looking up and around and noticing the real dangers looking above.
