Construction worker dies after falling 4 meters at Fo Tan site, union says struck by steel beam

A construction worker tragically died in an industrial accident at a construction site in Fo Tan, Hong Kong, on Friday afternoon (Jan. 24). The police received a report around 1:00 p.m. that the worker had fallen from a height of 3 to 4 meters at a site near Tsung Tau Ha Road and Pak Tsz Wo Street, losing consciousness. Emergency responders rushed to the scene, but the worker was pronounced dead on-site.

According to the Labour Department, officers were dispatched immediately to investigate the cause of the accident.

Sources revealed that the site is part of a project to construct a 60-story building, expected to be completed in two years. Mr. Chiu Kin-keung, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, visited the scene and provided further details. He explained that the worker was operating on a lifting platform, colloquially known as a "spider lift," cutting an I-beam at the time of the incident. It is suspected that the worker was struck by the steel beam, causing him to fall. Although the worker was wearing a safety harness, it reportedly snapped during the fall.

The deceased, a metalworker, was reportedly dismantling the steel beam when the accident occurred. Labor rights advocate Ms. Siu Sin-man, Executive Director of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, confirmed that the worker was hit by the I-beam and succumbed to his injuries upon impact with the ground.

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