A 34-year-old construction worker has died in a fall at a public housing site in Hong Kong, bringing the number of construction fatalities reported by a workers’ rights group this year to 21. Almost half have involved falls from height.
The latest death happened on Wednesday, 7 October, at the Tung Chung Area 103 housing development where, according to the Labour Department, the worker was dismantling an external-wall working platform.
Ten of those deaths were falls from height, and 6 of them happened on public works projects, according to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims.
Hong Kong’s Labour Department confirmed that inspectors attended the site following the fatal fall and issued suspension notices stopping all erection, alteration, dismantling and use of external-wall working platforms.
The work cannot resume until the department is satisfied that the risks have been addressed.
The worker, identified locally by his surname Chin, was found unconscious on a second-floor working platform and taken to North Lantau Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.
Growing concern over fatal falls
The Hong Kong Institute of Safety Practitioner has called for dedicated work-at-height legislation and stronger supervision on construction sites.
Its proposals include a code of practice covering different forms of elevated work, alongside greater accountability for site supervisors and closer checks on the proper use of fall-protection equipment.
The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims has also called on the government to take stronger action, particularly on publicly funded construction projects.
Its general secretary, Fay Siu, urged the Labour Department to investigate the latest death quickly and make its findings public.
Investigation under way
Local reports have raised questions about the circumstances of Wednesday’s accident.
According to the workers’ rights association, Mr Chin was dismantling equipment connected with a tower crane when he fell from the 13th floor onto a working platform below.
The association also reported that he was wearing fall-protection equipment.
However, the Labour Department has described the incident as a fall while dismantling an external-wall working platform. It has yet to confirm the height of the fall or the safety arrangements in place.
The type of working platform involved also remains unclear.
Investigators will examine the cause of the accident and whether those responsible for site safety breached their legal duties.
Under Hong Kong’s Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, breaches of the general duty provisions can result in fines of up to HK$10 million and imprisonment for two years.
The Labour Department has reminded contractors that workers dismantling platforms must be protected by suitable fall-arrest equipment connected to secure anchor points or independent lifelines.
It is also issuing a Work Safety Alert to contractors and industry organisations.
