Hong Kong worker killed by falling curtain glass wall at West Kowloon site
Incident classified as industrial accident after 2.5-by-two-metre glass wall struck a 53-year-old man at Sun Hung Kai Properties-developed site
Another Hong Kong worker has been killed in a shocking industrial accident, this time crushed by a 1.2-tonne glass panel at a construction site on top of the West Kowloon high-speed rail station.
The Labour Department on Sunday said it was highly concerned as police revealed details of the accident at a Sun Hung Kai Properties-developed site on Saturday, the second fatality in a week after the death of a plumber while unloading massive water pipes in Sheung Shui.
The force said the 53-year-old victim surnamed Leung was struck by the glass panel weighing 1.2 tonnes and measuring 2.5 by two metres (8.2 by 6.6 feet).
According to a source, Leung and two other workers were lowering the panel, which was secured with two straps and hooks placed at two points, from the ceiling to the ground.
Leung, who was wearing a safety helmet, had positioned himself underneath the glass as the workers prepared to move it when one of the straps snapped, causing the panel to fall, the insider said.
“His coworkers and two other workers used a forklift to move the glass curtain wall and relocate Leung to a safe area. At that time, he was unconscious,” the source said.
