Editing Scaffolding (section)

===Gradual decline===
In 2013, there were 1,751 registered bamboo scaffolders and roughly 200 scaffolding companies in Hong Kong.<ref name=independent-1>{{cite news|title=Hong Kong's 'spiders' stick to bamboo scaffolding|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/property/house-and-home/hong-kongs-spiders-stick-to-bamboo-scaffolding-1825044.html|access-date=12 February 2015|work=[[The Independent]]|publisher=independent.co.uk|date=21 November 2009}}</ref> The use of bamboo scaffolding is diminishing due to shortages in labor and material. Despite the lack of labor force and material, recently safety issues have become another serious concern.<ref name=HKBU>{{cite web|url=http://journalism.hkbu.edu.hk/feed/?p=3023|title=Bamboo Scaffolding in HK Sees Looming Threat - Feed Magazine – HKBU MA International Journalism Student Stories|website=journalism.hkbu.edu.hk|date=18 March 2014}}</ref>

The labor shortage may be due to the reluctance of younger generations to become scaffolders. "They even think that it’s a dirty and dangerous job. They are not going to do that kind of work," said Yu Hang Flord, who has been a scaffolder for 30 years and later became the director of Wui Fai Holdings, a member of the Hong Kong and Kowloon Scaffolders General Merchants Association. "They refuse to step in, although we give them high pay. They are scared of it. Young generations do not like jobs that involve hard work." Another reason fewer people are becoming scaffolders is that new recruits need to undergo training with the Hong Kong Construction Industry Council in order to acquire a license. Older scaffolders generally learned in [[apprenticeships]], and may have been able to gather more hands-on experience.<ref name=labour-gov-hk-1>{{cite web|title=Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety|url=http://www.labour.gov.hk/eng/public/os/B/Bamboo.pdf|website=www.labour.gov.hk|publisher=Occupational Safety and Health Branch Labour Department|access-date=12 February 2015}}</ref>

Material shortages are also a contributing factor to the decline. The bamboo scaffolding material was imported from mainland [[China]]. Bamboo—which matures after three years to the wide diameter and thick skin perfect for scaffolding—came from the [[Shaoxing]] area in [[Guangdong]]. Over the past two decades, firms have had to look to [[Guangxi]] instead. The industry's fear is that one day supplies will be blocked due to export embargoes and environmental concerns. Attempts to import bamboo from [[Thailand]], or switch to synthetic or plastic bamboo, have so far proved unsuccessful.

In many African countries, notably [[Nigeria]], bamboo scaffolding is still used for small scale construction in urban areas. In rural areas, the use of bamboo scaffolding for construction is common. In fact, bamboo is an essential building and construction commodity in Nigeria; the bamboo materials are transported on heavy trucks and [[Trailer (vehicle)|trailers]] from rural areas (especially the tropical rain forest) to cities and the northern part of Nigeria.

Some of the structures in relaxation and recreation centres, both in urban and rural areas of Nigeria, are put in place using bamboo materials. This is not for reasons of [[poverty]] (especially in the cities) but to add more [[aesthetics]] to these centres. Bamboo materials are still used in the construction of some [[bukas]] (local restaurants) in rural areas.<ref>https://ww.academia.edu/7351624/SCAFFOLDING_PRACTICES_IN_SOME_SELECTED_CITIES_OF_NIGERIA_A_SURVEY_OF_REQUIREMENTS_AND_PROSPECTS_FOR_SPECIALIZED_SUB-CONTRACTORS_BY{{dead link|date=May 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

[[File:Chiang-Mai Thailand Workers-on-a-bamboo-scaffolding-01.jpg|thumb|Workers on bamboo scaffolding]]