A lift technician has died after being crushed by an elevator at a public hospital, in the ninth fatal work accident this year, according to a labour rights group.
The worker, surnamed Leung, who was in his 50s, was working in an elevator shaft at Queen Mary Hospital (QMH) when the carriage fell, trapping him, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims said in a statement issued on Sunday, shortly after the worker died.
The Hospital Authority (HA), which manages the city’s public hospital, confirmed the fatal incident. Leung was employed by a lift engineering subcontractor for redevelopment works at the hospital in Pok Fu Lam, it said on Sunday evening.
The labour rights group called on the authorities to investigate whether the incident was caused by mechanical failure, operational error or other reasons, and to provide a public explanation.
It also said that the Sunday incident was the ninth fatality in the construction industry since the beginning of the year, according to records. The NGO also pointed out that lift-related worksite fatalities had been recorded in 2018, 2017, 2016, and 2014.
Local media reported that other workers on Sunday afternoon found Leung unconscious, trapped under the lift carriage at around 5pm. It took firefighters about two hours to remove the worker from the elevator shaft.
The worker “was trapped in one of the lift shafts” while working, according to the Architectural Services Department (ArchSD), which manages the hospital redevelopment works.
The Fire Services Department was deployed to rescue the worker, who was then taken to the Accident and Emergency Department at the same hospital.
However, he was certified dead on arrival.
Investigations
The HA “expresses deep sorrow over this incident and extends its sincere condolences to the deceased worker’s family,” it said in a statement. “The HA has directed the ArchSD to ensure that the contractor provides appropriate assistance to the family and supports them in handling the family member’s after-death arrangements.”
“The contractor has been urged to take the incident seriously and to adopt all necessary measures as soon as possible to ensure site safety,” the authority said.
The government has also requested the contractor to conduct a thorough investigation of the cause of the incident and to submit a report to the ArchSD and the HA “as soon as possible to prevent similar accidents from happening again.”
“The HA notes that the contractor will report this incident to the Labour Department, and the HA will also urge the ArchSD and the contractor to fully [co-operate] with the Labour Department and other relevant enforcement agencies in their investigation.”
The Labour Department is conducting its own investigation into the incident, according to a separate statement it issued on Sunday.
Just two weeks ago, a worker on a construction site near the Boundary Crossing Facilities of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was killed by a falling iron beam. The worker, surnamed Wong and in his 40s, was pronounced dead at the scene.
The red rainstorm warning was in force when the accident occurred.
