Site inspections alone not enough to fix Hong Kong’s industrial accident problems, unions and concern group say, calling for more safety training
- City has recorded a spike in accidents related to lifting operations this year
- Concern group says it is very difficult to investigate dangerous behaviour on construction sites as work will stop during checks
Hong Kong construction unions and a concern group have warned that the government merely stepping up site inspections will not be enough to solve the problem of industrial accidents, saying more training and increased safety awareness are needed following a spate of blunders.
Their comments on Monday followed a pledge by Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han to increase checks at sites where lifting operations were carried out after 10 related accidents this year.
Fay Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, said it was not ideal if the government only stepped up inspections when there was an increase in accidents related to particular construction procedures. She said she doubted the effectiveness of such surprise checks.
“Work will stop at the construction site when the Labour Department arrives. It is very difficult to investigate whether there is dangerous behaviour and incorrect practices. It cannot achieve the desired effect,” Siu told a radio programme.
She said the issue lay in workers and site managers failing to follow guidelines, which could be related to tight construction timelines and insufficient awareness about safety.