Chief Executive John Lee on Tuesday expressed his condolences to the families of two workers who died in a manhole in Sha Tin.

Initial investigations showed the pair inhaled hydrogen sulfide and fainted while working in the manhole. They were later certified dead at the hospital.

Speaking before the weekly Executive Council meeting, Lee said relevant departments were looking into the accident.

"I know that the Drainage Services Department has started reviewing the safety of similar works, and related works have been suspended," he said.

"We hope the Labour Department can conduct a detailed investigation as soon as possible to look into the cause of the accident. We will wait for the result of the investigation before we take follow up actions."

He added that various stakeholders had the responsibility to prevent industrial accidents from happening.

Development Secretary Bernadette Linn said the investigation would focus on the workers’ decision to enter the manhole.

"Workers should not be asked to enter manholes when they clean the drainage. They just have to spray water with high-pressure from above ground," she said during a Legco panel meeting.

"So why did the workers enter the manhole, leading to fatalities? That is one of the directions of the investigation."

A code of practice for safety and health at work in confined spaces was first introduced in 2000, and the government earlier said it planned to revise the code of practice in the first half of the year.

The Development Bureau said it had suspended the contractors from tendering for public works related to roads and drainage.

"The contractors concerned have to conduct an independent safety audit to review their safety management system. The contractors are required to submit an improvement action plan and implement improvement measures," a spokesman said.

The bureau said the suspension would only be lifted if the contractors demonstrated an effective safety management system.
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Last updated: 2024-04-23 HKT 17:25