Four workers on Saturday were hospitalised after being hit by falling iron bars at a construction site in Yau Ma Tei.

Two of them were seriously hurt, while the other two suffered minor injuries.

The incident happened at around 1 pm at a site for the construction for part of the Central Kowloon Route, located at the junction of Kansu Street and Ferry Street.

The steel wire rope of a crane lorry was believed to have snapped while carrying the iron bars, which fell and struck the workers.

The Fire Services Department said the incident happened below an overpass, in an area that's 15 metres underground. The metal rods each have a diameter of 32 millimetres, officers said.

Siu Sin-man, the chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, said she was shocked and angry.

"According to our association's own statistics, there have been at least nine industrial accidents involving lifting operations this year, resulting in six deaths. We also expect there will be many more projects involving lifting operations and prefabrications, and we hope this won't lead to more accidents," she said.

Earlier in the day, labour and welfare minister Chris Sun said the government is very concerned about a recent string of fatal industrial accidents.

Amendments to occupational health and safety laws were passed in April this year, increasing the maximum penalty for serious breaches by employers to HK$10 million and two years in prison.

"Merely relying on penalties is not enough. Penalties are only part of it. We need a combination of different approaches, including safety training for workers, education, publicity, and inspections," Sun told a Commercial Radio programme.

Last updated: 2023-11-11 HKT 18:04