A tower crane suddenly collapsed on September 7 and fell onto nearby temporary container offices, resulting in the death of three male workers and injuries to six male workers.

The tower crane involved was installed on a grillage foundation made of three layers of metal I-beams fabricated by arc-welding. The investigation showed that the welded joint between the metal I-beams on the top of the grillage foundation connecting to the base of the tower crane and the second layer of the metal I-beams were torn off after the accident, resulting in the collapse of the tower crane.

Having consulted the Department of Justice, the LD has initiated a total of 67 prosecutions against the relevant duty holders. "The LD will not tolerate illegal acts, and will strictly enforce the law and do its utmost to protect the occupational safety and health of employees," the spokesman said.

The Labour Department last year launched multiple special inspections targeting all construction sites using tower cranes in Hong Kong to deter unsafe work practices. It also met with the tower cranes industry reminding them to comply with the relevant safety legislation and code of practice when using and carrying out erections, height alterations, and dismantling operations of tower cranes.