A coroner ruled yesterday that the deaths of two bar benders at a construction site in Tsuen Wan were accidental, but said safety issues with equipment and the work site contributed to the tragedy.
Ng Yan-wing, 46, and Fu Po-yee, 49, died in July last year when a 10-metre-high metal cage they were working in collapsed on them at the site in Kwok Shui Road.
Ng and Fu were crushed under dozens of steel bars weighing about 180kg each. Two other workers in the cage escaped safely.
Coroner Michael Chan Pik-kiu accepted testimonies from two doctors that the victims died before they reached hospital.
Fu suffered broken ribs, a tear in his lung, bruises in his left heart chamber and injuries to his liver. Ng had a fractured pelvis, bladder injuries and bleeding in the abdominal cavity.
Chan said uneven ground at the high-rise residential site, and a lack of locks and supporting bars on the two-metre-diameter cage were the main problems.