“Sadly, a critical incident has occurred once more earlier than the revised code has been applied,” the Affiliation for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims mentioned on Tuesday.
“We’re very indignant in regards to the frequent prevalence of deadly incidents in confined areas.”
The 2 males, aged 26 and 34, have been discovered unconscious inside a four-metre-deep (13 toes) manhole. The pair have been cleansing drains at Yuen Wo Playground in Sha Tin with two different colleagues.
Police mentioned the reason for loss of life can be decided by a postmortem examination. Preliminary investigations instructed 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 staff have been killed final September by a suspected biogas leak underground at a development website managed by railway operator the MTR Company.
Labour chief Chris Solar Yuk-han earlier mentioned the federal government had consulted related stakeholders final 12 months and was searching for recommendation from the Division of Justice.
He mentioned the revisions have been anticipated to be accomplished by the primary half of this 12 months, and can be applied after an appropriate time-frame to permit the business to arrange.
The affiliation mentioned that earlier than working in a manhole, a rigorous threat evaluation must be carried out to make sure no unknown gases have been inside.
It urged staff to put on security belts and life ropes for a well timed escape, and known as on the Drainage Companies Division to make sure contractors complied with pointers and laws.
The affiliation additionally urged the federal government to make it obligatory underneath the revised code for contractors to submit challenge studies to the Labour Division upfront, together with work content material, development 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 identical case in the identical space nearly twenty 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 Business Staff Common Union mentioned.
Two staff, 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 carried out work outdoors the supposed space with out permission, and didn’t take obligatory precautions to guard the employees.
“The Labour Division should severely study the onerous classes from numerous industrial accidents, assessment the loopholes in supervision and enforcement as quickly as doable, make up for deficiencies and strengthen supervision and inspection,” the union mentioned.
A string of business incidents have been reported up to now few years.
On December 22, 2021, two staff died after being pulled unconscious from a manhole at a development website close to Hong Kong airport.
The 2 males – Fan Chu-leung, 34, and Zhao Gao, 38 – have been pronounced useless in hospital, whereas three colleagues who tried to rescue them complained of feeling unwell after inhaling suspected poisonous sewage gases.
The 5 staff have been despatched to the location by their firm to hold out cleansing work and examine the manhole, in keeping with a police supply.
The insider mentioned an preliminary investigation instructed 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 therapy plant on Lantau Island.
Firefighters discovered the lady 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 beneath floor degree.
On January 7, 2020, three staff 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.
