RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1997 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/wp98g7579 27 life bore evil influences. One could visit a soothsayer or some such person. He could advise whether one should perform rituals or what one should do to dissipate any evil influences. Once on the job of scaffolding, early in the morning especially, it is important that no inauspicious words are spoken. If something inappropriate is said it could be that it will actually come about. In addition, in the old days scaffolders wore a special belt which was believed to keep evil away and ensure safety. This belt was worn all day except when eating or going to the toilet. At night, it was hung by the bed in a special position where it can offer protection." Today, a scaffolder's 'belt' normally consists of a length of the same nylon that he uses to tie the scaffolding members together. A bundle of these nylon 'thongs' are tucked into his 'belt' and he pulls them out, one at a time, while he works aloft. His knife and his snips he will carry in his pocket. Although bamboo appears to be rather flimsy, and structural analysis has never really been a practical proposition, the advantage is that, as a material, it bends before it breaks. Few accidents have been recorded which are the direct result of faulty bamboo or insecure scaffolding." The Hong Kong Government Labour Department groups all accidents, which are classified as 'falling from heights', together. It does not have a separate category concerning bamboo scaffolding. Visitors to Hong Kong often take an interest in scaffolding and a Mr Malcolm Goodieson, from Mildura, Australia, raised, among other points, the following: "Are sufficiently high safety standards enforced with regard to scaffolding? Is there a need to impose further control measures in the interests of public safety" Mr Goodieson continued: "I have never before visited a place which had bamboo scaffolding. Nor have I been to a place where so many workmen behaved more like daredevil acrobats than construction workers. More recently, an "Occupational Safety and Health Council', complete with an education and Information Centre, has been set up. As mentioned before, however, little has been written about bamboo ================================================================================ RASHKB Journal 皇家亞洲學會香港分會學刊 | RAS-1997 https://digitalrepository.lib.hku.hk/catalog/wp98g7579 32 * Tiffany Osmond Jumor, The Canton Chinese or an American's sojourn in the Celestial Empire. James Monroe and Co (Boston and Cambridge, 1849) * Lan Ho Bor and Lam Tin Sang, 'Scaffolding in Hong Kong', Building Technology and Management, Chartered Institute of Building (UK, 1969), pp 196-197 p 196 10 Ibid || Ibid ? The slender volume by Ho So. The Craft of Chinese Scaffolding, see reference 4 above, when written was the only book on the subject. This is probably still the case Lin. loc cit Lee Ho Yin, 'Behind Bamboo, Low-Tech Rigs are Still Indispensable', Window (Hong Kong, July 14, 1995), pp 30-31, P 30 The Morrison Hill Technical Institute (Prospectus) (1971), P25 16 1995 Manpower Survey Report Building and Civil Engineering Industry Building and Civil Engineering Industry Training Board, Vocational Training Council, P34 17 Michael Wong, 'Danger Reaches New Heights', Sunday Hong Kong Standard (27 November 1994), p. S I Ibid 1 Lin, loc cit, and Ho, op cit p 25 20 Ho, passim 21 One of the worst such disasters was when a matshed grandstand collapsed and caught fire in 1918 at the Happy Valley Racecourse Over 600 people were killed 22 1995 Code of Practice for Scaffolding Safety, this is an approved code issued by the Commissioner for Labour under Section 7A of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, Chapter 59 Laws of Hong Kong 23 Wong, loc cit 24 Lee, loc cit 25 Lee, loc cit 26 Lin, loc cit 27 Wong, loc cit 28 Naomi Szero, loc cit 29 Wong, loc cit 30 Malcolm Goodison, "Bamboo Safeguard'. Hong Kong Standard, letters to the editor (18 October 1995) 31 1995 Code of Practice op cit p 16 # 12 Lee, loc cit ================================================================================