Chek Lap Kok worker crushed to death by lifting platform

Eunice Lam

A 33-year-old welder was crushed to death around noon by a 10-ton lifting platform outside the airport yesterday.

The man, surnamed Lee, was found crushed by the platform in the Ground Support Engineering Limited building on 7 Catering Road West of Chek Lap Kok.

Police received a report from Lee's colleague at around 12.49pm yesterday. Ambulance men and officers from the Fire Services Department's Disaster Response and Rescue Team were deployed to the scene immediately.

Firemen extracted Lee at around 2pm, but he was certified dead at the scene.

Police are investigating the cause of the incident, pending an autopsy.

A preliminary investigation found Lee was crushed by the fallen lifting platform from a baggage loader while he was tearing down the machine for recycling.

The Labour Department deployed staff to the scene upon receiving a report of the accident, which is under investigation, a spokesman said.

It is understood that Lee ran a metal recycling business, and he was tearing down the loader by himself when other workers were out for lunch.

But the platform suddenly collapsed from two meters above the ground, crushing him instantly.

The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims' chief executive Siu Sin-man told The Standard that it was hard to assess if the accident involved workers neglecting safety measures.

However, Siu added that workers should ensure components hanging above the ground have support before tearing down a machine.

"We should ensure the components are supported by, for example, a crane, to avoid them from falling," she said.

She cited another accident at a Tseung Kwan O construction site in May last year, where a worker died after being crushed by a falling concrete slab.

Siu said that members of the association had rushed to the scene, hoping to offer help to the family.

Meanwhile, the SAR saw 145 occupational deaths in the first half of this year, a three-year high, according to the Labour Department.

Around 27 industrial accidents happened this year, causing 28 deaths.

The association has followed up on a total of 75 occupational deaths this year. The construction sector has accounted for 25 of those cases.

It also recorded 18 cases of sudden deaths, and 13 workers died after falling from a height - five of them from lifting operations.

The association urged the administration to take the initiative in monitoring operation safety standards after it handled 10 fatal accidents in public construction projects.

It called on the authorities to review the Guidance Notes on Prevention of Heat Stroke at Work released in May this year, saying it is "out of reality," as a worker died from heat stroke in June after working outdoors for 45 minutes.

The association said workers lacking safety training have been the cause of many industrial accidents and urged the authorities to enhance occupational safety training.