观塘秀茂坪安达臣道一个地盘昨日发生罕见的天秤倒塌事故，酿成3死6伤，初步判断是天秤基座安装不稳所致，属于人为事故。特区政府高度重视事件，涉事地盘被勒令停工，全港使用天秤的地盘都要展开安全检查，确保运作安全及安装稳妥。早前红馆巨型屏幕塌下，导致一名舞者重伤，就在全港要求加强工业安全之际，今次发生更为严重的夺命事故。特区政府需要全力追查事故真相，厘清责任，更要加强职安教育，检讨及完善职安条例，加强对罔顾职安行为的阻吓力。

　　出事地盘为房协所有，突然塌下的天秤重达65吨，击中多个货柜工作室，导致严重死伤。行政长官李家超第一时间对死者家属致以慰问，希望伤者早日康复。劳工及福利局局长孙玉菡迅速到现场检查，并指挥救人。他在现场表示，初步判断是天秤基座安装不稳，“工字铁成个反起咗”，已向特首汇报，社署正联络家属并提供协助。房协为家属提供了一笔抚恤金，表示全力配合调查工作。

　　每一宗致命工业意外，都意味着生离死别，家庭破碎。不少工人是全家经济支柱，支柱倒下，家庭的天也塌下来。都说工业意外一宗都嫌多，但实际上，类似意外并不罕见。总体上看，最近十年香港工业意外较过去已有明显减少，但就绝对数字而言，仍然不低，平均每年职安事故约3万多宗。建筑业仍然是意外率及致命意外率最高的行业。去年，建筑业意外达3千多宗，每千名工人的意外率为29.5；过去五年，平均每年因此死亡约23人。或因为安全绳绑得不牢，从高处堕下；或因为风险意识不高，被泥头车夹死；或者被倒塌的建材砸中……

　　工业意外看似偶然，实有必然因素。一旦放松了风险意识，为图省事，该做的工序没有做，或打了折扣，就会埋下重大安全隐患。职业安全教育再怎么强调都不为过，必须月月讲，天天讲，时时讲。

　　对工人的职安培训需要与时俱进，风险意识增加一分，生命安全就多一分保障。但更多的时候，未必是工人不小心，而是因为雇主为降低成本，对职安重视不够。现行职安法例被指倾向雇主，雇主被认定轻微过失，罚款不过是区区1万元；严重违法，罚款5万元；就算是夺命的严重违法事件，最高罚款也不过20万元，这对一些财大气粗的建筑公司而言，可谓不痛不痒。这是香港工业意外不断发生的深层次原因。

　　上届特区政府建议修订职安条例，提高了罚款额，基本上增加一倍，法案已提交立法会审议。不过，法案仍有争议，建筑界认为罚则过重，中小企业难以负荷；但劳工界则认为仅仅罚款仍不足以提高阻吓力，应引入计分制，承建商发生过工业意外就扣分，直至失去承接政府工程的资格，最高惩罚是停止营运。其实，有关准则在电梯等行业已采用多年，对其他行业未必不合适。在最终法案三读通过之前，或有进一步补充、完善的空间。

　　人民至上，生命至上。工人的职业安全高于一切。特区政府重视职业安全毋庸置疑，眼下必须尽快梳理有关法例，修订完善，强化监督机制。劳工处等部门需要加强工地巡查和执法，将风险因素排除在萌芽状态，居安思危，警锺长鸣。2022-09-08 

SAR must enhance supervision mechanism and strictly enforce the law to protect occupational safety

　　In a rarely-seen accident, three workers were killed and six others injured yesterday after a huge tower crane collapsed at a construction site on Anderson Road in Sau Mau Ping in Kwun Tong. According to a preliminary investigation, the accident was caused by a faulty installation of the crane's base and, as such, it is an incident involving human error. The SAR Government attaches great importance to the incident. A suspension order was issued to temporarily decommission all three other cranes at the Anderson Road site, and authorities would be conducting safety checks on all cranes at construction sites throughout the city to make sure they operate safely and adhere to regulations. Just a month ago, a giant television screen hanging metres above the stage at the Hong Kong Coliseum in Hung Hom had suddenly fallen down to severely injure one of the dancers. Now in a time when enhancing protection of occupational safety is demanded throughout the whole territory, a more fatal accident happened. The SAR Government must make an all-out effort to investigate and find out the truth and who should be held responsible. More importantly, it must conduct a review on the effective Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (the Ordinance) and make improvement to increase deterrence against any behaviour in defiance of occupational safety.

　　The construction site where the accident happened is for a Hong Kong Housing Society project. The crane, weighed 65 tonnes, suddenly collapsed and fell onto six converted shipping container offices beneath it, causing severe casualties. Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu instantly extended his condolences to the families of the deceased and wished a speedy recovery of the injured.  Secretary for Labour and Welfare Chris Sun Yuk-han rushed to the scene to oversee the rescue operation. He said on the spot that he suspected the base of the crane in question had "obvious faults" as the "H-iron beam had flipped", adding that he had already reported it to the Chief Executive. The Social Welfare Department was contacting families of the workers affected by the tragedy to provide counseling and financial assistance. The Housing Society has provided comfort funds to the families of the deceased and injured workers and said it would fully cooperate with the probe.

　　Each and every fatal industrial accident results in separation between loved ones in life or death and broken homes. Many a worker is the economic pillar of their family. When the pillar collapses, the sky for the family also falls. It is always said that one industrial accident is far too many. Yet in fact, similar accidents are not so rare. On the whole, industrial accidents in Hong Kong in the past decade are noticeably fewer than before. But the absolute number is still quite high, as the average annual number of occupational accidents reaches about 30,000.　　 Construction remains the industry with the highest accident rate and fatal accident rate. Last year, over 3,000 accident happened in the construction industry, with the accident rate of 29.5 per 1,000 workers. And in the past five years, about 23 construction workers were killed on average annually in accidents. Some fell from heights because their safety ropes were not securely fastened; some were squeezed to death by dump trucks because their risk awareness was not high; and some were hit to death by falling construction materials....

　　Industrial accidents are seemingly accidental, but in fact caused by inevitable factors. Once one lowers their awareness and tries to do things the easy way by not fulfilling or completely fulfilling the working procedure's requirements, this would present potential safety hazard. The importance of occupational safety education can never be emphasised too much.Occupational safety must be stressed every month, every day and every hour.Occupational safety training on workers must keep pace with the times. When rick awareness is heightened up a notch, life safety is protected a notch better. But many accidents happen not necessarily due to workers' carelessness but because employers pay insufficient attention to occupational safety for the sake of lowering costs. The effective Ordinance is criticised for being in favour of employers. An employer would be given a small fine of $10,000 for slight negligence and a fine of $50,000 for more serious violation. Even for a serious, law-breaking fatal accident, the maximum fine is just $200,000. This is simply a slap on the wrist for those construction companies with deep pockets.

 　　The last-term government proposed to revise the Ordinance to increase the fines by almost doubling the current amounts. The bill is already presented to the Legislative Council (Legco) for deliberation. Nevertheless, there is still controversy over the bill. The construction sector argues that the proposed fines are too heavy for medium- and small-sized enterprises. But the labour sector maintains that just giving fines is not sufficient to increase deterrence, so a points system should also be introduced. Points would be deduced for the contractor concerned if an industrial accident happens until it is disqualified to undertake any government project. And the maximum punishment is to ban its operation. As a matter of fact, such rules have been in force in the lift and other industries for years, so they may not necessarily be inappropriate for other industries. There is probably room to re-mend and improve the bill before its third reading.

　　People and their lives must be put first. Workers' occupational safety is above everything else. The SAR Government no doubt attaches importance to occupational safety. Right now, relevant regulations must be reviewed, revised and improved to enhance the supervision mechanism.  The Labour Department must step up inspection of construction sites and law enforcement to eliminate risk factors in the bud, be prepared for danger in times of peace and remain vigilant at all times.

08 September 2022