Hong Kong suspends construction by two contractors at Kai Tak Sports Park after a worker dies

The government has suspended the contractor and subcontractor responsible for building Hong Kong’s Kai Tak Sports Park after a fatal accident left a 52-year-old worker trapped between an elevated work platform and a metal structure.

The development office announced its decision to exclude the two companies from bidding for public works contracts, a day after the Ministry of Labor halted related platform work in the park to ensure measures were taken to mitigate future risks.

The suspension of the companies also included their tenders for future contracts as well as contracts that have already started but not yet concluded. However, overall construction of the park continues.

A spokesman for the office said on Friday that, as the agency responsible for the procurement of public works services, it issued the suspension orders in accordance with regulations and in response to the fatal accident.

Various government agencies investigated the incident, with the contractors potentially being permanently banned from taking on future public works projects.

Although the office did not name the main contractor, the project website identified Hip Hing Engineering as the company responsible for the construction of the Kai Tak Sports Park. The company, in turn, commissioned the subcontractor to supply materials and carry out special work.

“The affected contractor and subcontractor must carry out an independent safety audit to review their safety management system,” the bureau spokesman said, adding that construction companies would have to submit an “improvement action plan” and demonstrate that they could implement it. The government would review the plan as part of its ongoing investigation.

The office stated that the contractor in question had five active public works contracts, while the subcontractor had none.

“We have already asked our construction departments to increase monitoring of the work carried out by the contractor in question,” the spokesperson added.

The Labor Ministry on Thursday ordered companies to halt work at Kai Tak Sports Park and stop using a mechanized platform after the 52-year-old worker inspecting a metal structure became crushed between the platform and the structure.

The worker was found unconscious on Wednesday morning and taken to Kwong Wah Hospital in Yau Ma Tei, where he was later confirmed dead.