After death of 2 sewer workers, Hong Kong authorities should investigate contractor safety measures, unions and concern groups say
- Construction Industry Council has suspended registration of three companies after two workers died in manhole following suspected exposure to toxic gas
- But unions and concern groups ask why men were underground, doing work beyond regular job scope, and whether contractors provided protective gear or followed safety rules
The Construction Industry Council on Wednesday suspended with immediate effect the registration of three companies involved in the works, after the two men died following suspected exposure to the toxic gas hydrogen sulphide while inside the four-metre-deep (13 feet) manhole.
The council ordered the three companies to undergo an independent safety audit and submit an improvement plan before the restrictions would be lifted.
Fay Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, said that sometimes workers were asked to go beyond their specified duties, which only required them to use a high-pressure hosepipe to clean drains from outside.
“According to the sector, the drains are often clogged by trash. They need to empty the waste water and send workers underground to clear the trash,” Siu told a radio show on Wednesday. “We should have foreseen that this could happen and had a comprehensive plan to handle work in confined spaces.”
She urged the government to provide more details about the incident and review whether there were problems with the contractors’ safety measures.
