Fourth work death in week spurs Hong Kong labour rights groups to call for change
They say four fatal work-related accidents a consequence of issues such as substandard safety measures and lenient punishments for offenders, among others
A fourth fatal work accident in a week has prompted Hong Kong labour rights advocates to call for employers and authorities to fix systemic problems, including substandard safety measures, unreasonably low tender prices, lenient punishments for offenders and a flawed subcontracting system.
Colleagues found the man’s body floating in the sea at 8.45am. He was later certified dead at Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung. A postmortem examination will be carried out to ascertain the cause of death.
It marked the fourth fatal work accident since last Tuesday. Two victims, aged 44 and 37, died after falling from scaffolding at a factory building and an airport terminal respectively, while a 41-year-old worker was crushed by a falling cage lift at a construction site.
Fay Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, called the situation “alarming” and the industry had long been plagued by systemic problems, including the process for awarding tenders and lenient punishments for offenders.
“The tender is always awarded to the one offering the lowest price, how much attention and resources are being given to safety?” she said. “Aren’t we prioritising money over safety?”
