appConfigEntityId

bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

hooksArticlePageAdvertisementConfigArticle

liveArticle

appConfig

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

sectionsV2

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

json

Vivian Au

Industry leaders have called on Hong Kong authorities to review crane safety guidelines to include mandatory testing for metal fatigue, following another fatal collapse.
An operator was killed on Thursday afternoon when a tower crane toppled at a construction site for the second phase of a public housing project on Tai Wo Hau Road in Kwai Chung, crashing onto a slope opposite Pik Kwai House at Kwai Chung Estate.
The project’s main contractor, Woon Lee Construction, was previously fined by authorities over two fatal incidents at its sites in 2009 and 2011.
The company’s parent firm, Kowloon Bay-based CNQC International Holdings, said on Friday that it was investigating the accident with authorities and had not yet reached a “conclusive result”.
Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, warned that the current mechanical inspections were insufficient.
He said it was his understanding that the tower crane had undergone a thorough inspection earlier this month and was subject to regular daily checks.
“However, the checks were primarily visual inspection or mechanical tests of cables, and they did not cover metal fatigue. It remains to be seen whether the current inspection scope is sufficient,” he said.
Chau said the crane at the site had only been in use for two to three years.
He noted that under Labour Department guidelines, only tower cranes used for more than 15 years needed to undergo non-destructive testing on bolts and non-welded sections.

The cranes only required a weld test on 10 per cent of their joints, while metal fatigue was excluded from the inspection requirements, he said.
“A formal review of the guidelines is needed,” he said.
He said the recent adoption of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), in which pre-finished modules are built in factories and then assembled on site into complete buildings, might have significantly increased both the crane’s workload and its use.
The Hong Kong Institute of Safety Practitioner also called on the industry to check cranes for corrosion, breakages or fatigue using non-destructive methods, and to ensure operating platforms and related components were safe.
Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han said the department’s investigation involved several primary directions, including determining if there were issues with the installation or design of the crane and examining whether its mounting was secure.
He added that the authorities would verify whether the inspection process was conducted to the required standards and look into potential operational issues, such as whether the lifted load exceeded the crane’s design capacity.
The Development Bureau also said that it had notified the contractor of its immediate suspension from tendering for public works contracts in the buildings category in accordance with regulations.
Thursday’s collapse resulted in the operator, a 62-year-old man, falling onto the slope along with a 45-metre (148-foot) section of the crane. He was pulled from the mangled cabin with severe head injuries but was pronounced dead at the scene.
The crane jib remained on the hillside as of Friday morning, with a section of Tai Wo Hau Road cordoned off.
The Housing Department earlier said that it would follow up on the incident and take appropriate action against the contractor based on the results of its investigation.
The department suspended all work at the site and met the company to demand a detailed investigation report.
It added that it would pursue prosecutions if any violations were found.
A tower crane at a public housing site in Sau Mau Ping collapsed back in September 2022, killing three workers and injuring six. In July 2007, two workers were killed when a tower crane collapsed at a site in Causeway Bay.


Hong Kong customs seizes 760 suspected endangered reptiles worth HK$580,000

Hong Kong expands heat stress monitoring to better protect outdoor workers

HKTVmall’s Ricky Wong breaks silence after protests over animal research methods

Licence of Hong Kong travel agency revoked after tour guide coerced visitors to shop

Hong Kong society

Deadly tower crane collapse prompts calls for review of safety guidelines

A tower crane collapsed at a construction site on Thursday. Photo: Sam Tsang

An expert has called for metal fatigue testing in light of the crane collapse on Thursday. Photo: Jelly Tse 

Operator killed as tower crane collapses at Hong Kong construction site

Resce workers at the construction site in Kwai Chung. Photo: Sam Tsang

The accident occurred at the construction site for a public housing project on a slope opposite Pik Kwai House at Kwai Chung Estate. Photo: Sam Tsang

2 workers killed, 3 others injured in 2 Hong Kong construction site accidents

One of the injured workers is wheeled into an ambulance after being struck by gas cylinders at the Po Fung Road construction site. Photo: Handout

Three gas cylinders fell from a crane at a construction site on Po Fung Road in Tsuen Wan, injuring three workers, one of them fatally. Photo: Jelly Tse

Worker dies after beam falls at Hong Kong construction site amid rainstorm

A worker was killed by a fallen iron beam at a construction site near the border-crossing facilities at Hong Kong’s mega bridge connecting mainland China and Macau. Photo: Now TV news

A dashcam video captures the iron beam collapsing on a road within the site. Photo: Handout

News

Hong Kong

Society

Operator killed after tower crane collapses at construction site for public housing project on Tai Wo Hau Road


Operator killed after tower crane collapses at construction site for public housing project on Tai Wo Hau Road.


Accidents and personal safety in Hong Kong

Hong Kong rescue services

Deadly tower crane collapse prompts calls for review of safety guidelines

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Operator killed after tower crane collapses at construction site for public housing project on Tai Wo Hau Road

Operator killed after tower crane collapses at construction site for public housing project on Tai Wo Hau Road