Mirror concert accident: Hong Kong authorities to look into dancers’ contracts, while direction of inquiry ‘discovered’ in task force probe
- Labour minister Chris Sun says his department will check if dancers signed self-employment contracts, which are not covered by workforce compensation laws
- Source says investigators built elevatable platform at venue, but have failed to reach highest part of stage
Hong Kong’s labour minister has pledged to look into the employment terms of the dancers injured during a concert by Canto-pop boy band Mirror amid concerns the performers had signed contracts that were not covered by workforce compensation laws.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han’s comments came as government departments and police continued to investigate the cause of the incident, with an engineering expert suggesting a direction of inquiry was “discovered” on Saturday after a visit to the Hong Kong Coliseum, the concert’s venue.
“We have found some [investigation] directions,” said engineering expert Szeto Ka-sing, who is part of a government task force set up to probe the accident, without revealing more details.
Mirror accident: metal fatigue found in wire used to suspend screen
The accident occurred last week during a Mirror concert and resulted in the injury of two dancers, with Mo Lee Kai-yin, 27, in critical condition and intensive care, after a four-by-four-metre screen crashed onto the stage. A third dancer was also reportedly injured during a rehearsal before the performance.
Mirror’s deputy group leader Anson Kong Ip-sang posted a message on Instagram apologising to the public for causing concern and said he hoped people would send their blessings to the three injured dancers.
“No matter how hard the difficulties are, we will get through them together,” Kong said. “I know [the dancers] will recover. Comrades, I will see you on stage.”
Breaking her silence for the first time since the accident, Lee’s girlfriend Natalie So Tsz-ching posted a message on Intsagram with a picture of a cat kissing a Mickey Mouse, saying “wait for your return and hear me repeating this melody” with two heart-shaped icons. Lee’s father earlier thanked So, a member of local girl band Collar, for her support for his son.
Joining Szeto on the visit to the concert venue was a group of investigators, comprising about 30 police officers, government chemists and department representatives.
A source said investigators took photos of the scene and an elevatable platform was built at the accident site so that experts could check the upper sections of the stage, but they had failed to reach the highest part to examine how the screen was installed. More hints could be uncovered from examining that area, according to the insider.
The group would visit the venue again on Sunday, the source said, adding that in addition to focusing on metal fatigue in a wire used to suspend the screen as a possible cause, they would also look at other factors.
The focus on employer responsibility by labour authorities is part of a wider inquiry by the government task force appointed by Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu, with police and the Leisure and Cultural Services Department also involved in the investigation.
The labour minister said his department was investigating the accident according to the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance, which requires employers to ensure the protection of staff at the workplace.
“Depending on the evidence collected, we will decide whether we will take further action, including prosecution,” he told a radio programme. “We are still at the stage of collecting evidence so I cannot disclose further information.”
Hong Kong concert organisers make stage design changes as new rules kick in
Sun said the Labour Department was also seeking information from companies involved in the concert and speaking with dancers to determine if they had signed self-employment contracts, meaning the performers would not be covered by the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance.
“We hope that with our mediation, we will be able to determine later on whether or not these dancers are self-employed or they are indeed employees,” the minister said after the radio programme.
He added that the matter would be determined by the courts if the performers and the companies involved could not reach a consensus.
Sun said the dancers’ employment status was not only dependent on any signed contracts but on other factors too, such as whether the performers were able to decide their own workflow.
Responding to calls for authorities to publish a report on the wider investigation, the minister said the decision was up to the task force, adding that his department would release takeaways from the inquiry once legal procedures were completed.
Lee Tsz-chun, chairman of the task force and an assistant director at the Leisure and Cultural Services Department on Friday, said that the wire used to suspend the screen was subjected to metal fatigue, causing it to break, but more tests were needed to confirm the findings.
Superintendent Alan Chung of the Kowloon West regional crime unit refused to disclose the probe’s progress, but said they would return on Sunday for further investigation. When asked whether the venue could be handed over to the next performer on time, he said the cultural services department would decide that.
Singer-songwriter Terence Lam’s six-night concert is scheduled to be held at the coliseum from August 19.
The department said it had not received any notice from the concert organiser on postponing or cancelling the event.
Last week, the department announced interim measures ahead of the investigation results. It tightened rules on stage design for public performance venues, banning the use of mid-air installations.
The Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre (HKCEC) is the second private venue to announce it will adopt the new rules, following AsiaWorld-Expo.
“We require event organisers to strictly follow safety measures for stages. We will also follow [the department’s] short-term measures, ensuring performers and staff members perform in a safe [environment],” a venue spokesman said, adding that hirers must conduct daily inspections of mechanical devices.
“We will communicate with organisers of events at the HKCEC in the next few months to ensure compliance.”
Additional reporting by Oscar Liu
