Hong Kong, 19 March 2021 — A male worker dropped down from the ladder and fell over the railing of the balcony onto the ground floor while working on a ladder at the balcony of an upper floor unit of a building in Yuen Long. He was certified dead on the spot. The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about the accident.
“We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending any work-above-ground activity in the unit. The contractors cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risk have been taken,” an LD’s spokesman said.
The spokesman added, “We will complete investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”
The general duty provisions of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and safe systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the above provisions are liable to a maximum fine of HKD500,000 and imprisonment for six months.
In regard to the accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers’ unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents. — Construction+ Online
