The Labour Department (LD) said it was investigating a fatal industrial incident in Kowloon City in which a worker fell to his death while dismantling scaffolding at a building.

The incident happened on Tuesday afternoon, when the man fell onto the canopy on the first floor while dismantling a bamboo scaffold at the external wall of the building on Ma Tau Kok Road.

He was declared dead in hospital.

The department said it issued suspension notices to the contractors involved and stopped all scaffolding work.

"The contractors cannot resume the work until the LD is satisfied that measures to abate the relevant risks have been taken," it wrote in a statement.

The department added that it will try to find out what caused the incident and who might be responsible, and take legal actions if there is any violation of work safety legislation.

The Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union expressed regret over the tragedy.

It urged employers to provide workers with safety equipment such as full-body safety harness and lifelines to prevent similar cases.