Contractor to blame for deadly HKZM bridge construction accident

Builders use asphalt to surface the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

The Hong Kong Economic Journal (HKE) has reported that the deadly accident that occurred during the construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HKZMB) was avoidable and due to contractor mistakes. A construction platform collapsed,  claiming the lives of two workers and left three others injured on March 29.

Following the collapse, three workers at the construction site plunged into the sea and went missing. The submerged platform sunk 10 meters below the water’s surface.

An investigative report on the incident has concluded that  the accident occurred because the contractor had rushed the removal of a 40-tonne work platform before the tide had subsided, as mentioned by Labor party chair Suzanne Wu, citing reports from witnesses.

Both the Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions and Hong Kong Labour Party have publicly criticized the Hong Kong Labour Department and the contractor at fault for the accident, saying that they failed to address proper safety issues at the site.

According to Wu, the three lost workers were not properly secured with individual harnesses, causing them to be dragged into the sea when the bridge collapsed. Another worker informed HKEJ that the workers had not been notified by the contractor that they were removing the platform, which had been unsteady before they removed it.

Chan Kam Hong, a representative from the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims said, “The incident showed that labor laws are no longer effective in protecting workers. […] Last year, the contractor was penalized in HKD30,000 per incident, much lower than the penalties elsewhere.” Hong urged the government to “raise the bar,” and adopt criteria like the mainland’s in which companies are penalized up to 80 percent of their income for safety breaches, remarking that “there is no ceiling for penalties in the UK.”

During the ongoing HKZM Bridge project, which started in 2011, at least ten accidents resulting in several deaths and one hundred and seventy injuries have reportedly occurred.

The Highways Department, responsible for the final incident report, has set up a task force to investigate the case, promising to deliver a full report in three months’ time.