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The Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han announced on Tuesday that they are closely monitoring the situation of the Kai Tak construction incident.
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He stated today that the Labour Department has halted the hospital construction works and is currently investigating the cause of the incident. Plans are also underway to inspect all scaffolding works across Hong Kong.
The decision was made following an incident yesterday (Jan 13) where a large bamboo scaffolding collapsed at a hospital construction site on Shing Cheong Road in Kai Tak, injuring at least 11 workers. The scaffolding, measuring 20 by 100 meters, detached and fell at around 4 pm while at least six workers were working on it.
Among the injured, an unconscious female worker was trapped beneath the scaffolding. All victims were promptly taken to Queen Elizabeth Hospital and United Christian Hospital for medical treatment.
As of 11 am today, a 61-year-old female worker surnamed Chiu remains in critical condition at Queen Elizabeth Hospital. Another worker is in stable condition at the same hospital, while four others are also stable at United Christian Hospital.
The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims Limited highlighted that similar incidents had occurred last year and urged the government to inspect the safety of bamboo scaffolding more rigorously.
Fay Siu Sin-man, the association's chairwoman, attributed the collapse primarily to the instability of bamboo as a material, among other factors such as alterations or lack of inspections. He emphasized the need for better inspection and monitoring of bamboo scaffolding and advocated for the increased use of metal scaffolding.
The Hong Kong and Kowloon Bamboo Scaffolding Workers Union suggested that the accident might be related to issues with the putlogs, which are essential for scaffolding stability. Chairman Ho Ping-tak emphasized the dangers of improper dismantling procedures, noting that careless handling of putlogs during dismantling could lead to catastrophic collapses.
