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China Overseas Building Construction Limited and Wing Lee Scaffolding Company Limited were fined a total of $50,000 at Sha Tin Magistrates' Court today (July 6) for violation of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations and the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance. The prosecutions were launched by the Labour Department.
The case involved a fatal accident on May 7 last year at a construction site in Ma On Shan. A scaffolder died when he was erecting a bamboo scaffold.
According to Regulation 38B(1A) of the Construction Sites (Safety) Regulations, contractors must take adequate steps to prevent people falling from a height of two metres or more. Any contractor who fails to do so is liable to a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for 12 months.
According to Section 6A(1) & 6A(2)(a) of the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance, the proprietor must provide and maintain a system of work that is, so far as is reasonably practicable, safe and without risk to the health of the person employed. Any proprietor who fails to do so is liable to a fine of $500,000 and imprisonment for six months.
Ends/Monday, July 6, 2009
Issued at HKT 17:52
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