Probes to weigh who, what to blame

Police and labor officials are conducting separate probes into the fatal industrial incident in Sau Mau Ping, where three workers and six others inside container offices were crushed by a collapsed tower crane, says Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu.

Police have taken statements from 10 individuals, including eyewitnesses, to aid in their probe, which aims to determine whether the accident was caused by negligence, entailing a criminal investigation.

And Lee said the Labour Department, with the support of experts, is investigating "to determine who will be held responsible."

Lee said the department issued a suspension order to the Anderson Road site and ordered the contractor, Aggressive Construction Company Ltd, to temporarily decommission the three tower cranes there.

Police superintendent Wong Yik-lung of Kowloon East regional crime unit said a team of 40, composed of police officers and personnel from the Labour Department and government laboratories, gathered evidence yesterday.

But the operation yielded limited results, Wong added, as they were unable to enter the crushed shipping containers due to safety risks.

Detectives will submit a report to a coroner, who will decide whether an inquest is needed for the deaths of the three construction workers.

Experts have speculated that the accident may be a result of negligence.

On a radio program, Hong Kong Institution of Engineers' safety specialist committee chairman Joseph Chi Wuh-jian said judging from videos it appeared that the welding of the base was not strong enough.

"That could explain why the crane tipped over despite not bearing any weight and only having been in use for a month," said Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims head Fay Siu Sin-man.

Siu said the family of electrician Hui Man-ming, 41, would face the most difficulty, adding that compensation from the contractor would take time.

"It'll take more than a year for the contractor to provide compensation to the affected families," she said.

Siu said while legislation targeting occupational and safety hazards on construction sites is sufficient, she would not rule out the possibility that site personnel had not conducted adequate risk assessments.

At a roadside vigil, Hui's widow said her family had lost its sole breadwinner, leaving her to raise their two children, aged four and seven, by herself.

Hui was killed instantly by the impact, which cracked his skull, according to a senior fireman.

Assistant engineer Poon Ho-yuk, 22, was pronounced dead on arrival at United Christian Hospital.

Engineer Tsui Hok-pui, 25, was recovered from the wreckage more than seven hours after the collapse only for him to be pronounced dead.

Construction workers Chan Kwai-yin, 33, Chung Hoi-kit, 32, Li Wong-hung, 32, and Yip Ho-lam, 25, have been released from hospitals after receiving treatment for minor injuries to their limbs, necks and bodies.

Two others, crane operator Tsui Wing-ming, 62, and construction worker Chan Ting-fung, 24, are still receiving treatment in the intensive care unit of United Christian Hospital for severe injuries.

cjames.lee@singtaonewscorp.com