His death was one of 25 fatal industrial accidents recorded in Hong Kong last year, with most on construction sites.

The sector has continued to record the highest number of fatalities and worksite accidents, even as the total number of industrial incidents declined over the last decade.

While the number of such mishaps across all industries came down from a high of 13,658 in 2011 to 7,202 in 2020, the construction sector alone accounted for 2,532 accidents in 2020 and 2,947 in 2019.

Recent mishaps involving sewer manholes have also caused concern.

In December, two construction workers died after firefighters pulled them unconscious from a manhole. They were believed to have inhaled suspected toxic sewage gases.

Last November, a female worker died and three men were seriously injured after they fell into an eight-metre-deep manhole at a sewage treatment plant.

Yan, who married her husband in 2008 and was left with two daughters, now aged seven and 11, recalled the day she received the news of his death.

“I was so heartbroken,” she said. “I cried every day. I couldn’t sleep at night and kept thinking he would somehow come home after work.”

She said her older daughter sometimes still dreamed of her father coming home, and the younger one had not completely grasped his passing.

Now a part-time restaurant worker, she said: “People around me don’t understand how I really feel. Even if my friends come to comfort me, they can only offer me a few consoling words.

“My family told me the accident is a thing of the past, that I shouldn’t think too much about it and just focus on bringing up my daughters.”

2 Hong Kong construction workers die after being pulled from manhole

Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, an NGO which supports up to 70 families a year, said coping with grief was the biggest hurdle for those affected by worksite tragedies.

“It’s a big shock for them and they have to slowly accept reality,” said Siu.

She said more could be done to protect workers, who may be afraid to voice concerns about safety for fear of losing their jobs.

Even workers with adequate knowledge of safety may not be able to apply what they know on site.

“For example, even if we tell all workers to wear safety belts, they may not have a proper place on site to harness themselves,” she said.

During a Legislative Council session earlier this month, Secretary for Labour and Welfare Law Chi-kwong acknowledged that the situation of industrial accidents remained unsatisfactory, even as overall occupational safety levels had improved.

Referring to the recent manhole accidents, he said the Labour Department was arranging to meet various stakeholders to strengthen guidelines for working in confined spaces. It recently revised guidelines related to scaffolding and rooftop work.

He also noted that pandemic restrictions had made it more challenging for officials to conduct safety inspections at construction sites.

Inspections by the Occupational Safety Division fell from 87,668 in 2019 to 58,035 in 2020, before rising to 71,063 last year.

In a recent interview, Commissioner for Labour Chris Sun Yuk-han highlighted Chief Executive Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor’s plans to strengthen laws while promising more site inspections and public education for workers.

“Once we are not careful, these accidents will happen. We will keep doing what we can to strengthen these measures,” he said.

Eliza Wong Yeuk-lan, a member of the Construction Industry Council, hoped laws could be strengthened soon and that more contractors or developers could use new technology to monitor workers’ safety.

“We always say there’s no best, only better,” she said. “If there are ways to improve, of course, there are many things industry stakeholders can do.”

*Name changed at the interviewee’s request