Yau Ma Tei site injuries 'not par for course'

Wallis Wang

The government should require workers take Labour Department-approved courses before being allowed to work at construction sites on jobs that involve lifting, a construction safety adviser said.

His comments came after four workers were injured, one critically, after being hit by four falling metal rods at a highway construction site for the Central Kowloon route in Yau Ma Tei on Saturday.

Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union's Lee Kwong-sing said there is already such a requirement for construction workers who work in confined spaces, as these courses will at least let them know what they are doing wrong.

"Tying up stuff to the crane is being done by anyone, causing potential risks, as the person doing it might not know how to tie something to a crane, so many people are just doing it casually," Lee said.

"Why can't we take reference from the 'certified worker' system for confined space? So that at the very least they know the mistakes that they have made."

Lee also said the accident was "outrageous" as steel cables are normally resilient and should have been checked before use.

"There is a code of practice for lifting objects with crane in construction sites. Workers should lift an object, wait three seconds to make sure it is secured onto the crane before proceed," Lee said.

Workers should also be three meters away from a lifted object, Lee said, fueling his suspicion that the contractor is not providing workers with enough training.

Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims head Siu Sin-man said the SAR has seen at least 10 serious accidents involving lifting operations this year, killing six.

As more buildings are made of prefabricated materials and curtain walls nowadays, there will be more lifting operations and more risk of accidents, she said.

Siu said the latest accident happened after cables carrying metal rods snapped.

Apart from stepping up maintenance checks at construction facilities, authorities should also look into why workers were in dangerous places, she said.

There was a failure at the site to comply with clear guidelines set out for lifting operations, and the authorities should enhance education and inspections on site safety.

But Siu said it will be hard to spot problems through spot checks, so she suggested the government start with education and raising awareness among construction workers and their superiors.

"The most efficient way to make improvements is to report to their company. But I have heard many workers saying the company will find them troublesome for complaining."