Editorial | Mirror case reflects need for show safety
- As third firm is fined over accident at Hong Kong boy band concert, it is clear more must be done to keep performers out of harm’s way
Just as Hong Kong boy band Mirror began their comeback concert series following a serious stage accident in 2022, a city court handed down a HK$420,000 fine on one of the firms held responsible for mishaps that injured three dancers, one of whom was critically hurt by a falling video screen. But the sorry episode is far from over. The authorities should continue to pursue justice and accountability over the incident and work with the industries involved to ensure stage performances are safe.
The fine incurred by the Hip Hing Loong Stage Engineering Company for safety breaches was the heftiest yet in relation to the incident. The firm oversaw the maintenance and operation of mechanical engineering on stage, such as the equipment for the rising platforms and suspension systems, but not the LED screens. Kowloon City Court heard the firm installed the screens based on the instructions of another contractor. The magistrate slammed an industry loophole that allowed such installations to be inspected visually. That the company had worked on “thousands of other concerts” in the past meant experience could still be compromised by negligence and result in serious accidents.
Last November, Engineering Impact, the contractor in charge of designing the stage components, was fined HK$220,000 for failing to ensure devices were safe and other related offences. Studiodanz, which hired the dancers, was fined HK$132,000 for five offences, including failure to ensure the occupational safety of employees and to provide insurance coverage for them. Whether the penalties are sufficient is a matter of judgment. But no amount of money can make up for the sufferings of Mo Li Kai-yin, who is still on the long road to recovery. Another case involving three people accused of falsifying equipment data for the installations is ongoing.
There is some way to go to ensure safety at work and, despite improvements in recent years, the accident at the Mirror concert is a timely reminder that injuries are not merely confined to industrial and construction sites. Interim measures imposed on stage performances in the wake of the incident at the Hong Kong Coliseum must lead to wider reforms that improve the work culture of the industry.