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In regard to the tower working platform incident at Tregunter Tower in the Mid-levels in March this year, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD), having sought advice from the Department of Justice, has decided to prosecute Hong Dau Construction Company Limited, an owner of the platform, and Proficiency Industrial Products Limited, the contractor and an owner of the platform, an EMSD spokesman said today (September 17). The contraventions included failing to ensure the platform was properly maintained and kept in a proper state of repair. Also, the Labour Department has taken prosecution action against the contractor and employer in the incident for failing to ensure the work safety of workers.
In the morning of March 25 this year, the right section of a tower working platform (see Figure 1) installed at Tregunter Tower 3 in the Mid-levels detached from the central lifting section of the platform and fell from 55/F to the ground, causing the deaths of two workers. With assistance from a materials expert, the EMSD completed a technical investigation and concluded that the incident was caused by metal fatigue at the welds of the sleeves for the two bolts at the right section of the central lifting section (see Figure 2).
"We inspected all tower working platforms in the territory immediately after the incident and confirmed that they had no similar defects. We have also enhanced the regulatory measures to prevent recurrence of similar incidents. They include issuing instructions to all the owners and contractors of tower working platforms to remind them to check the structure of the connection joints thoroughly when carrying out repair and maintenance works," the spokesman said.
According to the Builders' Lifts and Tower Working Platforms (Safety) Ordinance, contractors must ensure that all structural and mechanical components of their tower working platforms are kept in a proper state of repair while the owners must ensure that their platforms are properly maintained. Any contractor or owner contravening this ordinance is liable to a maximum penalty of a fine of $200,000 and imprisonment for 12 months upon each conviction.
Ends/Wednesday, September 17, 2014
Issued at HKT 16:04
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