Human error suspected in Kai Tak scaffolding collapse

Human error was suspected in the accident where a huge framework of scaffolding fell at a construction site in Kai Tak on Tuesday afternoon, leaving two female construction workers dead.

The incident occurred at around 4 pm on the site of residential project Pano Harbour on Shing Fu Lane, with the scaffolding - 15 meters tall and eight meters wide - falling from 19 stories above and hitting three women and a man.

Authorities said after preliminary investigation that a female worker was working on the scaffolding on the 19th floor when it suddenly collapsed.

Detectives from the police's crime squad, along with officials from the Labour Department and Building Departments, returned to the scene on Wednesday morning for further investigation.

Lee Kwong-sing, a safety advisor from the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, believes human error was at play.

He said scaffolders should have installed sufficient putlogs when erecting the structure to ensure it was well supported, yet the putlogs could have been unlinked by other workers when carrying out other work.

Meanwhile, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims noted that the contractor involved has also been involved in other industrial accidents.

The association called on authorities to step up inspection and monitoring of its work, while demanding that the contractor explains the cause of the accident.