Lift company may face disciplinary action after accident

The company responsible for maintaining a lift that plunged to the ground last Saturday might face prosecution, a government official said on Monday.

Seven people were injured – one critically – after the lift in a commercial building at 480 King’s Road, North Point, fell to the ground last Saturday night. This occurred when all four cables snapped after it had passed the first floor going up.

All of the injured, including a critically injured 82-year-old man, were still in hospital on Monday.

Alfred Sit Wing-hang, deputy director of regulatory services at the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department, told local radio on Monday the department might prosecute Shineford Engineering, the company responsible for maintaining the lift.

“Lifts are supposed to be a safe utility, but this accident involves the breaking of all four cables and the failure of its braking system. This is unacceptable,” Sit said.

“We might take disciplinary action or even prosecution [against the company],” he said.