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Kate Chan

Hong Kong labour authorities have begun testing an infrared thermal-imaging drone to detect heat sources and illegal smoking at construction sites, with plans to add artificial intelligence (AI) to identify offenders.
Since the total construction site smoking ban took effect on July 17, about 1,400 have been inspected as of Tuesday, according to Wan Chi-ping, assistant commissioner for labour.
Authorities issued 39 fixed-penalty notices and 11 improvement notices to contractors, while two cases are now undergoing evidence review for possible prosecution.
Wan described the current level of illegal smoking as “not ideal”, but said enforcement was “not easy” during the ban’s early roll-out.
Deployed by the Labour Department under the new regulation, the enhanced drone allows safety officers to detect thermal hotspots from a distance.
Demonstrated at a Yuen Long construction site on Wednesday, the infrared drone streamed real-time footage that marked heat sources with a red dot, allowing operators to zoom in with optical cameras to check fire safety compliance or identify illegal smokers.
“The infrared lens allows us to precisely spot different heat sources across a site, which strengthens our enforcement work,” Wan said.
He said the drone could be set to detect a specific temperature range – such as 60 to 80 degrees Celsius (140 to 176 Fahrenheit) to identify cigarette embers – and operators could take photos to capture a worker’s physical features and location for enforcement purposes, although no smokers had been caught using the technology so far.

The Labour Department is currently testing one infrared drone, which has a battery life of 40 to 50 minutes and can operate at an altitude of up to 90 metres (295 feet). It plans to expand its fleet to six or seven drones by September.
The department first introduced non-thermal drones last October to assist with inspections and enforcement.
Since then, authorities have carried out 64 drone-assisted inspections, leading to 224 prosecutions and 623 statutory notices, mostly for inadequate safety measures related to working at height and lifting operations.
Wan said the department also planned to integrate AI with thermal imaging to better identify smoking behaviour and facial features, making enforcement more efficient.
“We are currently in the tendering stage to find contractors who will develop customised AI software,” Wan said.
“The research phase is expected to take nine to 12 months, after which we will evaluate the results to determine the timeline for full deployment.”


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Hong Kong tests thermal drones to catch illegal smoking at construction sites

Hong Kong labour authorities have begun testing an infrared thermal-imaging drone to detect heat sources and illegal smoking at construction sites. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The total site smoking ban took effect on July 17. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The enhanced drone allows safety officers to detect thermal hotspots from a distance. Photo: Jonathan Wong

The Labour Department is currently testing one infrared drone, which has a battery life of 40 to 50 minutes. Photo: Jonathan Wong

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A banner about the smoking ban  is displayed at a Fanling construction site. Under the legal amendments, anyone caught smoking at a construction site faces a fixed penalty of HK$3,000 (US$380) for individual breaches. Photo: Eugene Lee

Hong Kong labour commissioner Sam Hui has said achieving smoke-free construction sites is a “long-term and continuous goal”. Photo: Elson Li

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The smoking ban took effect on July 17. Photo: Jelly Tse

Commissioner for Labour Sam Hui (right) visits a construction site on the day the ban took effect. Photo: Elson Li

Hong Kong tests thermal drones to catch illegal smoking at construction sites

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Labour Department says AI will be added later to help identify smoking workers

Labour Department says AI will be added later to help identify smoking workers