Construction Worker Hoisted Into the Air by Tower Crane, Then Fell as He Was Being Lowered

A worker was entangled by the tail rope of a tower crane and lifted into the air. He lost his grasp on the rope as he was being lowered to the ground, and he fell. Screenshot of the video courtesy by Onba Lee

On the morning of Nov. 10, a construction worker was hoisted into the air by the tail rope of a tower crane and later fell to the ground.

The Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims believes the accident was linked to the lack of communication between workers and strongly condemned its delayed report to the police.

Hoisted 7 to 8 Meters and Fell While Being Lowered

The accident took place at the construction site of the “Silicon Hill” project in Yau King Lane, Hong Kong, at 9:20 a.m. on Nov. 10.

Yang, aged 37, a rigger, became entangled by the tail rope of a crane and was lifted to a height of about seven to eight meters (23 to 26 ft).

When other workers realized what was happening, they immediately tried to get the crane operator to lower the crane hook to return the rigger to the ground.

Two workers stepped forward to catch the worker if he fell. However, whilst being lowered, the rigger became free from the tail rope, lost his hold on the tail rope, and fell from a height of about five meters (16 ft).

He stood up by himself and went to the Prince of Wales Hospital for a checkup. It is understood that he had injuries to his two feet.

The police received the report at 2:30 p.m., five hours after the accident, mentioning that the injured worker sought medical treatment by himself, and it is now classified as an industrial accident.

The cause of the accident is under investigation by the relevant departments.

*Warning: The video below shows details of the accident which viewers may find disturbing.

Lee, who worked as a crane operator and rigger for 20 years, was interviewed after the accident by The Epoch Times. He pointed out that the authorities stipulated that at least two meters of the rope tail must be tied to the hook of the tower crane when it is operating.

He said that although the measures are helpful for site safety, due to the cluttered construction site environment, the tail rope  will occasionally catch objects on the ground and even workers. If the rope is too long, it will easily cause a dangerous accident. He criticized the current regulation on the length of the rope as not applicable to all site conditions.

Industrial Rights Association Strongly Condemns the Delayed Reporting

Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, believes that the accident may have been caused by the lack of a signal operator on the ground to notify the crane operator when the rigger was accidentally caught by the rope.

Lee said for the last two decades, riggers were assigned as the signal operator well. “Sub-constructors wouldn’t hire a rigger for just loading or unloading the load from the crane, or a signal operator for just signal operation, although they (rigger and signal operator) should be two different roles.”

But he also said since last year, some big constructors began to strictly separate the two roles.

Siu said the authorities should investigate whether the rigger was standing in a dangerous position, in a blind spot to the crane operator’s vision, or any other causes of the incident.

She also said that incidents of noose accidentally entangling workers happen from time to time, but this is the first time she had heard of an accident as serious as lifting a worker in the air.

Siu pointed out that the crane operator, the rigger, and the signal operator must have good communication and tacit understanding. “For example, they can use the walkie-talkie or gesture to indicate that the process has been completed so that the operator can lift the object after receiving the instruction.

If workers do not coordinate in advance and use different gestures and commands, misunderstandings are likely to occur, and there is a chance that the process may go wrong and lead to accidents,” she continued.

Siu Sin-man, chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, pointed out that if the industry delays reporting, it will delay the treatment of injured workers and hinder the authorities' investigation. Terence Tang/The Epoch Times

Regarding the delay in reporting to the police, Lee said, “Constructors’ practice is to keep less serious accidents in a low profile. The normal procedure for injury on a construction site is to let the injured worker see the doctor without reporting to the police unless it’s a serious accident. If there was no video leaking out over social media, I don’t think they (the constructor) would report to police.”

Siu strongly condemned the fact that the site called the police five hours after the incident, believing that the practice might delay the treatment of the injured worker and would also hinder the authorities’ investigation.

She also said that the current law does not require immediate reporting of worker casualties, but the industry delays reporting and lack supervision and improvement, and worker casualties may occur in the future. She reminded all employers, supervisors, and frontline workers to be aware of safety during the crane operations.

Labour Department Launches Investigation

The Labour Department replied to The Epoch Time’s inquiry that after learning of the incident, it immediately dispatched personnel to the scene to investigate. If the investigation finds a violation of occupational safety and health legislation, it will be dealt with in accordance with the law.

In addition, the Department will issue an “Improvement Notice” to the relevant contractors, requiring them to improve the relevant lifting procedures to protect the occupational safety and health of employees at work.

Sun Hung Kai Properties Limited (SHKP) responded that it attaches great importance to the accident and expresses its deepest condolences to the injured worker, the hoisting operator of a subcontractor on the site. The company will closely follow up on the incident, have sealed off the scene of the accident, and will fully cooperate with the investigation by the police and relevant departments.