Cause identified in Hong Kong tower crane collapse

Hong Kong Labour Department has identified the cause and brought 67 prosecutions over the collapse of a tower crane which killed three workers and injured six.

At a construction site on Anderson Road in Sau Mau Ping the tower crane collapsed without warning on to temporary site office units on 7 September 2022. The crane operator was one of the injured.

Having completed its investigation and consulted the Department of Justice, the Labour Department has initiated 67 prosecutions against relevant duty holders, including the contractor, subcontractors and individuals.

A Labour Department spokesman said, “The LD will not tolerate illegal acts, and will strictly enforce the law and do its utmost to protect the occupational safety and health of employees.”

What did the investigation find?

The Labour Department explained its investigation results as follows: “The tower crane involved was installed on a grillage foundation made of three layers of metal I-beams fabricated by arc welding. The welded joint between the metal I-beams on the top of the grillage foundation connecting to the base of the tower crane and the second layer of the metal I-beams were found torn off after the accident, resulting in the collapse of the tower crane.”

The project affected is the Subsidised Sale Housing Construction Project of the Hong Kong Housing Society, a development of five residential buildings. Three tower cranes were erected on the site and the site was operating when the accident happened in the morning. None of the cranes were lifting at the time of the incident, the Hong Kong Labour Department said.