Attention TV/radio announcers: Please broadcast the following as soon as possible: Here is an item of interest to swimmers. The Leisure and Cultural Services Department announced today (December 4) that due to big… read more
Police are investigating a Police open fire case in Hung Hom yesterday afternoon (December 3). At about 12.55pm yesterday, officers of Crime Kowloon West Region acted on information and arr… read more
The Labour Department (LD) is highly concerned about a work accident that happened at a construction site in Tin Shui Wai today (December 3), in which a male worker was struck by a fallen metal I-beam being dismantled. The worker was certified dead in the hospital. The LD is saddened by the death of the worker and expresses its deepest sympathies to the victim’s family.
The LD’s spokesman said, “We commenced an immediate on-site investigation as soon as we were notified of the accident and issued suspension notices to the contractors concerned, suspending all metal I-beam cutting and dismantling work on the site. The contractors cannot resume the work process until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risk have been taken.”
The spokesman added, “We will complete investigation as soon as possible to identify the cause of the accident, ascertain the liability of the duty holders and recommend improvement measures. We will take actions pursuant to the law if there is any violation of the work safety legislation.”
The general duty provisions of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance require employers to provide safe working environments, plant and safe systems of work for their employees. Those who contravene the above provisions are liable to a maximum fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for six months.
In regard to today’s accident, the LD will issue a Work Safety Alert through its website and email, giving a brief account of the accident concerned to duty holders, workers’ unions, professional bodies of safety practitioners and others, reminding the industry of the importance of following safety precautionary measures to prevent a recurrence of similar accidents.
The LD will also remind the employer concerned of the liability for employees’ compensation under the Employees’ Compensation Ordinance, assist family members of the deceased to claim employees’ compensation and closely follow up on the case. For those with financial difficulties, the LD will assist them to apply for appropriate emergency funds. Subject to the needs and wishes of family members of the deceased, the LD will also liaise with the Social Welfare Department for financial or other assistance.
For the sake of securing the safety and health of employees at work, the LD appeals to employers to provide plant and systems of work that are safe and without risks to health. Employees should co-operate with their employers, adopt all safety measures and use personal protective equipment provided properly to avoid endangering their own work safety and that of other workers. read more
The Labour Department (LD) is investigating a fatal work accident that occurred in Tin Shui Wai this afternoon (December 3), in which a worker died. The LD immediately deployed staff to the… read more
Following is the transcript of remarks by the Secretary for Justice, Ms Teresa Cheng, SC, at a media session at the Hong Kong International Airport today (December 3):
Reporter: How is your arm? How are you recovering so far? Maybe you have noticed there is some criticism that even the Sai Wan Ho boy who was shot has been released from the hospital, why did you stay so long in London? And my second question is what are your views on the pan-Democrats’ private bill to slash the jail term for rioting charges from 10 to three years?
Secretary for Justice: I have already described my injury. My injury from the left wrist is a certain bone fracture around the wrist and with partial dislocation of the wrist. The hand is of course painful, but it is more painful at the heart to see Hong Kong is still at the state that we are in. This disorderly behavior to me is even more painful than my arm. I have done the operation in London and when the Embassy arranged my return to the country, I arrived in Beijing and went to the Beijing hospital for further check-ups and medical treatment.
(Please also refer to the Chinese portion of the transcript.) read more