Hong Kong authorities should file appeals against “lenient penalties” in cases of occupational safety violations, a labour rights group has said after the city saw three fatal industrial incidents in five days. The deaths of three construction workers last week were “very concerning” and Hong Kong must continue to improve its industrial safety laws, the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims said in a press conference with other labour rights advocates on Tuesday. According to the group, 11 construction workers had died in industrial incidents since the beginning of 2024.
The government, property owners, consultants, contractors and frontline workers all had an “irrefutable responsibility” in these incidents, the association’s chief executive Fay Siu said. Siu pointed to the “poor practices” of the construction industry in the city, including multiple levels of subcontracting that weakened the effectiveness of safety messaging to workers. The labour group called on the authorities to increase the duration of safety training courses and require workers to complete a certain number of training hours before renewing their professional licenses.
Industrial safety education should be incorporated into the curriculum of primary and secondary schools to foster awareness from a young age, the association said. Siu also urged the Labour Department and the Department of Justice to “uphold justice” by appealing against cases in which the court im.