“Sadly, a severe incident has occurred once more earlier than the revised code has been carried out,” the Affiliation for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims stated on Tuesday.
“We’re very indignant concerning the frequent incidence of deadly incidents in confined areas.”
The 2 males, aged 26 and 34, have been discovered unconscious inside a four-metre-deep (13 ft) manhole. The pair have been cleansing drains at Yuen Wo Playground in Sha Tin with two different colleagues.
Police stated the reason for dying can be decided by a postmortem examination. Preliminary investigations prompt the pair had handed out after inhaling the fuel.
Labour authorities have been revising the code of observe for security and well being at work in confined areas after two employees have been killed final September by a suspected biogas leak underground at a building web site managed by railway operator the MTR Company.
Labour chief Chris Solar Yuk-han earlier stated the federal government had consulted related stakeholders final 12 months and was in search of recommendation from the Division of Justice.
He stated the revisions have been anticipated to be accomplished by the primary half of this 12 months, and can be carried out after an appropriate time-frame to permit the trade to arrange.
The affiliation stated that earlier than working in a manhole, a rigorous danger evaluation needs to be carried out to make sure no unknown gases have been inside.
It urged employees to put on security belts and life ropes for a well timed escape, and referred to as on the Drainage Companies Division to make sure contractors complied with pointers and rules.
The affiliation additionally urged the federal government to make it obligatory beneath the revised code for contractors to submit venture reviews to the Labour Division prematurely, together with work content material, building dates and security plans, to make sure authorities have been knowledgeable and will conduct inspections.
A union additionally accused the federal government of failing to plug security loopholes over time regardless of an analogous case in the identical space virtually 20 years in the past.
“The Drainage Companies Division has not discovered the painful lesson and tragedy has occurred once more 18 years later,” the Hong Kong Building Trade Staff Basic Union stated.
Two employees, each aged 46, died in a sewer manhole, additionally on Yuen Wo Street in Sha Tin on August 1, 2006.
Investigators suspected one man inhaled methane fuel and handed out and his colleague then went into the manhole to rescue him but additionally fell unconscious.
A Drainage Companies Division inquiry discovered that the primary contractor had subcontracted work and performed work outdoors the meant space with out permission, and didn’t take vital precautions to guard the employees.
“The Labour Division should severely be taught the laborious classes from numerous industrial accidents, evaluate the loopholes in supervision and enforcement as quickly as doable, make up for deficiencies and strengthen supervision and inspection,” the union stated.
A string of commercial incidents have been reported previously few years.
On December 22, 2021, two employees died after being pulled unconscious from a manhole at a building web site close to Hong Kong airport.
The 2 males – Fan Chu-leung, 34, and Zhao Gao, 38 – have been pronounced lifeless in hospital, whereas three colleagues who tried to rescue them complained of feeling unwell after inhaling suspected poisonous sewage gases.
The 5 employees have been despatched to the positioning by their firm to hold out cleansing work and examine the manhole, in response to a police supply.
The insider stated an preliminary investigation prompt suspected sewage fuel and water spilled into the manhole when two of them have been climbing down. The pair then fell about 2.5 metres to the underside of the manhole.
On November 18, 2021, a girl died and three males have been severely injured after falling into an eight-metre-deep manhole at a sewage remedy plant on Lantau Island.
Firefighters discovered the girl mendacity face down on the backside of the manhole, in sewage water about 50cm deep, whereas the three males have been trapped on a piece platform six metres under floor degree.
On January 7, 2020, three employees have been suspected of inhaling an unknown fuel whereas working in a manhole in Tuen Mun. One was rescued by firefighters after falling right into a coma earlier than later regaining consciousness.