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Hong Kong rolls out infrared drones to spot illegal construction smoking
About 1,400 construction sites had been inspected by the Labor Department as of Tuesday, with 39 fixed-penalty and 11 improvement notices issued for violations.
Hong Kong labor authorities have started testing an infrared thermal-imaging drone aimed at detecting illegal smoking at construction sites, with plans to add artificial intelligence to help identify offenders, according to SCMP Economy.
The program follows the total construction site smoking ban that took effect on July 17. As of Tuesday, authorities had inspected about 1,400 sites, issued 39 fixed-penalty notices and 11 improvement notices to contractors, and had two cases under evidence review for possible prosecution.
Officials said enforcement has been difficult during the ban’s early rollout. The drone, deployed by the Labour Department under the new regulation, is designed to let safety officers spot thermal hotspots from a distance and stream real-time footage.
SCMP Economy reports the demonstration at a Yuen Long construction site showed the infrared lens marking heat sources with a red dot, while operators can zoom in with optical cameras to check fire safety compliance or identify illegal smokers.