A tower crane operator died on Thursday when the structure he was in collapsed at a building site in Kwai Chung.

The site is part of the Housing Authority’s Tai Wo Hau Road Phase 2 public housing development.

The man was trapped inside the cabin of the crane after it came down near Pik Kwai House, Kwai Chung Estate at about 4.30pm, police said.

Photos posted online showed the crane had toppled over onto a hillside.

Police said a truck travelling on nearby Tai Wo Hau Road was struck by gravel and debris during the incident but the driver was not injured.

The Labour Department said it sent staff to the scene, and is investigating the cause of the tragedy.

Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, said based on photos taken at the scene and his observations, the incident may have been caused by overloading or metal fatigue.

"Normally, these cranes are equipped with an alarm that sounds if the safe working load is exceeded. Theoretically, the crane should stop automatically if the load is too heavy. However, it is possible that the alarm malfunctioned or there was metal fatigue," he said.

"The crane might not have even reached the safe working load before failing because it had been in service for a long time. These are our current estimates, we have to wait for the official investigation report to confirm the facts."

Fay Siu, the chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, urged authorities to expedite their investigation into the incident, saying the crane had undergone routine checks prior to the collapse.

“According to site records, the crane undergoes weekly inspections, including one conducted just this morning. The collapsed crane has been used at this site for about two years and its total service life is around three and a half years," she said.

"Based on the information we gathered, the crane is not that ‘aged’. We hope that investigation results will be released as soon as possible to determine why it collapsed.”

Meanwhile, lawmaker and chairman of the Federation of Hong Kong and Kowloon Labour Unions, Lam Chun-sing, urged the Labour Department to conduct a full-scale review of crane safety regulations and lifting work codes.

He also called on the department to establish a special task force to conduct immediate and territory-wide inspections on tower cranes at all construction sites.

At a press briefing late on Thursday, Assistant Director of Housing Max Wong said the department will conduct inspections across all its sites and follow up on the incident.

"Our investigation will be comprehensive, covering the overall lifting procedures, safety, and routine checks. We will conduct a thorough investigation based on our records," he said.

"Following the incident, the contractor suspended all work at the site. We will arrange an immediate meeting with them and require the submission of a detailed, comprehensive investigation report, as well as the implementation of necessary improvement measures.”
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Last updated: 2026-03-19 HKT 22:26




Edited by Aaron Tam