1 dead after work accident at Kai Tak Stadium construction site

A construction worker has died from his injuries following an industrial accident on the site of a new sports stadium in Kai Tak.

The worker, a 52-year-old cherry picker operator, was assisting a colleague with maintenance work when the incident occurred on Wednesday afternoon, local media reported.

The Labor Department immediately dispatched personnel to the scene after receiving a report of the incident and launched an investigation, it said in a statement.

According to a police statement, a report was received around midday on Wednesday that a construction worker named Lai had fallen unconscious, with the incident classified as an industrial accident.

See also: Hong Kong urged to phase out ‘old-style’ car lifts following death of outsourced government worker at sports center

He was taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei for emergency treatment but died around 8 p.m.

A spokesman said the sports park was “deeply saddened” by the worker’s death.

Image shows paramedics providing emergency treatment to workplace accident victim (click to view).

“We express our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased. The main contractor and its subcontractors will provide all necessary assistance to the family and cooperate fully with the Ministry of Labor and the police in their investigations,” the sports park’s statement said.

track record

The Association for the Rights of Victims of Industrial Accidents (ARIAV) expressed its condolences in a statement on Wednesday evening, adding that it was in contact with the family members of the deceased.

The advocacy group will provide assistance and urge the contractor and employers to help the family as much as possible, it said.

The group also condemned contractor Hip Hing Construction, citing an earlier incident at another construction site in the Kai Tak area in February that left two people dead and three injured.

“(ARIAV) condemns the frequent occurrence of accidents in the company and considers it necessary to thoroughly review its safety management system,” the statement said.

The group also listed five other accidents between February 2021 and January 2024 on construction projects managed by Hip Hing Construction, some of which resulted in fatalities.

Kowloon City Magistrates’ Courts ruled last June that Hip Hing had violated the Factory and Industrial Enterprises Ordinance and Construction Site (Safety) Regulations and should be fined HK$130,000 over the fatal accident.

In May 2022, a two-meter-high work platform collapsed at the construction site of the new immigration headquarters in Tseung Kwan O, killing a 48-year-old construction worker. The website was managed by Hip Hing.

The Kai Tak Sports Park, which is still under construction, is scheduled to open in 2025.

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