appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

isVideo

articlePageQuery

article

articleSchemaContent

content

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

appConfig

filter

json

liveArticle

Lo Hoi-ying

Authorities have ordered the suspension of construction works at a hospital in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung after a labourer allegedly fell to his death from bamboo scaffolding.
The Development Bureau said on Friday evening it had also suspended the contractors involved in the project from tendering for public works contracts.
An investigation was conducted immediately after authorities received a report on Thursday afternoon about a labourer who fell at the construction site of the phase two redevelopment of Kwai Chung Hospital, the Labour Department said.
The 30-year-old victim was certified dead on the spot after sustaining massive head trauma.
Hong Kong labourer falls to his death at construction site at hospital
A department spokesman said officers issued notices to the contractors to suspend the erection, alteration, dismantling and use of the bamboo scaffold on the external wall of the building at the construction site.
“The contractors cannot resume the work process until the [Labour Department] is satisfied that measures to minimise the risks have been taken,” the spokesman said.
The department said they were “highly concerned” about the fatal accident and expressed their deepest sympathy to the victim’s family.
It added it would complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause, and take legal action against any violation of work safety legislation.
“We will complete the investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures,” the department said.
“We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”

A Development Bureau spokesman said the contractors must conduct an independent audit of the safety management system, submit an improvement action plan and implement the measures before it would consider lifting the suspension.
Tse Yan-yin, a representative from the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, told a radio show on Friday morning that the victim’s family hoped authorities would conduct a thorough investigation and reveal the findings as soon as possible.
“It is devastating that the victim’s father has to see his child pass away before himself,” she said, adding that the association hoped the contractor would offer to assist in the funeral arrangements for the victim.
2 die, 3 injured after scaffolding collapses at Hong Kong construction site
According to information from the Architectural Services Department, the construction work at the hospital is contracted to Shui On Joint Venture.
The contractor told local media on Thursday they were saddened by the death and that the victim was a supervisor hired by the subcontractor.
It added that staff would fully cooperate with authorities to investigate the cause of the accident.
The second and third phases of the hospital’s redevelopment, which commenced in 2019 and was aimed for completion in 2025, included demolishing existing structures and building a new main block and one for children.
In February, two women workers died after bamboo scaffolding collapsed at a 30-storey building in Kai Tak.


Hongkongers learn English to engage in the real world, not to sound perfect

Workers with disabilities deserve Hong Kong’s respect and support

How to say ‘tomato sauce’ in Cantonese? Miss Hong Kong hopeful sparks culture debate

Hop On misses court deadline for meeting owners from blaze-hit Tai Po estate

Hong Kong society

Hong Kong hospital construction works suspended after man allegedly falls to his death from bamboo scaffolding

The Kwai Chung Hospital construction site in July 2023. The government has said it issued notices to the contractors to suspend the project. Photo: Handout

Kwai Chung Hospital in 2018. The hospital’s redevelopment commenced in 2019 and was expected to be completed in 2025. Photo: Handout

Safety belt ‘may have played pivotal role’ in saving life of Hong Kong worker, 51, who fell 19 floors in fatal scaffolding collapse

Bamboo scaffolding on a building at the city’s former airport runway collapsed, killing two workers and injuring three others. Photo: Sam Tsang

A worker sets up scaffolding at Sun Hing Building in Mong Kok. Photo: Dickson Lee

2 die, 3 injured after scaffolding collapses at construction site on Hong Kong’s former airport runway

Scaffolding collapsed at a luxury housing development. Photo: Sam Tsang

An aerial view of the scaffolding collapse that claimed the lives of two women workers and injured three other employees at construction site at the city’s former airport. Photo: Handout

Why Hong Kong uses bamboo scaffolding in construction and the potential risks

The scene of the fatal incident in Kai Tak. Two women workers died and three others were injured on Tuesday after bamboo scaffolding around a 30-storey building collapsed. Photo: Sam Tsang

A construction worker at a site in Yau Ma Tei. Hong Kong is one of the few places left in the world that uses bamboo scaffolding. Photo: Jelly Tse

Bamboo scaffolding is used in maintenance works for an old building on Queen’s Road East, Wan Chai. Photo: Jelly Tse

News

Hong Kong

Society

Labourer, 30, certified dead on the spot after sustaining massive head trauma at a construction site in Hong Kong’s Kwai Chung
Development Bureau says it has also suspended the contractors involved in the project from tendering for public works contracts


Labourer, 30, certified dead on the spot after sustaining massive head trauma at a construction site in Kwai Chung.


Accidents and personal safety in Hong Kong

Hong Kong rescue services