Victim didn’t wear safety harness
A worker from the mainland who didn’t wear a safety harness died after falling from the 13th floor of a construction site in Praça de Ferreira do Amaral – colloquially known in Cantonese simply as “A Ma La” – yesterday, the authorities said, classifying the case as a construction site accident.
A Judiciary Police (PJ) statement yesterday identified the victim as a 37-year-old non-resident worker surnamed Yang.
According to the PJ statement, the Fire Services Bureau (FB) notified PJ officers shortly before 10:30 a.m. yesterday of the case.
Yang started work at the construction site yesterday at 8 a.m., tasked with installing steel panels on the 13th floor of the building, the statement said, adding that his workmates heard a loud thud at around 10 a.m. and saw that he had fallen onto the building’s podium on the third floor. The construction site manager called the emergency services.
According to the statement, firemen and paramedics rushed to the scene where they were unable to detect the victim’s heartbeat, and he was not breathing. He was rushed to the public Conde de São Januário Hospital Centre for emergency treatment where he was pronounced dead after emergency treatment to save his life had failed, the statement said.
According to the PJ statement, Yang was not wearing a safety harness while working when he fell.
According to local media reports, a lakeside hotel project is being carried out on the construction site, which is located between the Lake View Tower residential building and the entrance to the Governor Nobre de Carvalho Bridge (commonly known as the “Old Bridge”).
The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) said in a separate statement yesterday that it has ordered the building contractor to suspend all work carried out at a height.
The DSAL statement also said that the victim wasn’t wearing a safety harness.
The statement said that DSAL officials will assist the victim’s family members in filing a work accident claim.
The statement underlined that according to official health and safety rules, building contractors are required to provide safety training for all those tasked with working at a height. Building contractors must provide all those working at a height with a work platform and safety harnesses, and ensure that the workers always use the tools in line with the guidelines, the statement said.
In the statement, the bureau also urged workers to always correctly use work platforms and safety harnesses.
The statement said that DSAL officials have launched an investigation into the exact cause of yesterday’s accident, adding that the bureau will punish those found responsible for the fatal accident in line with the findings of the investigation.
This photo taken last night shows the construction site in Praça de Ferreira do Amaral where a fatal accident occurred in the morning. Photo: Tony Wong
This photo released by the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) yesterday shows the 13th floor of the construction site from where the victim fell.
