A man died yesterday when a partition fell on him in a building being stripped for renovation in Lam Tin. The 51-year-old worker was struck by the partition, measuring a metre by 1.3 metres, in the former Kwong Tin Estate management office on the second floor of Kwong Tin Shopping Centre in Pik Wan Road about 2pm. The man was collecting debris as co-workers of a Housing Department contractor were demolishing fittings in the management office, police said. A police spokeswoman said the Labour Department was investigating the cause of the accident. A Housing Department spokesman said the office, which had been vacant since July 1, would be handed over to Link Management after the fittings were removed. Meanwhile, Polytechnic University has released the results of a survey showing that workers and others in the construction industry believe that the top three reasons for fatal accidents involving work at height were poor safety attitudes, low safety awareness and a lack of safety knowledge. The survey, which interviewed 581 people in the construction industry, also found that the industry agreed that extra funds for safety equipment would reduce falls. Government figures show there were 22 fatal accidents involving work at height from 2000 to 2004.
