A Hong Kong man has been hospitalised after being trapped by fallen bamboo scaffolding at a building in Sham Shui Po, prompting authorities to launch an investigation.
Emergency services were called to 105-107 Nam Cheong Street at around 3.49pm on Saturday following reports scaffolding measuring about 15 metres by 33 metres (49 feet by 108 feet) had partially collapsed and trapped the victim.
According to police, the victim, who is believed to be in his fifties or sixties, suffered head injuries but was conscious when taken to Princess Margaret Hospital in Kwai Chung for treatment.
Police have classified the case as an industrial accident, and an investigation into the cause of the collapse is ongoing.
The Hong Kong and Kowloon Bamboo Scaffolding Workers Union said that according to workers interviewed at the scene, the scaffolding collapsed after heavy construction materials were stored on an upper platform, causing the supporting base poles to snap.
A worker at the site told the union that his colleague on the upper platform was using ropes to lower bags of construction waste to other labourers below just before the incident.
The union said the platform was suspected to have been used as a temporary storage area for construction waste, with severe overloading causing the collapse.
The union pointed out that under the Code of Practice for Bamboo Scaffolding Safety, working platforms were categorised into light-duty and heavy-duty tiers. Under safety guidelines, load limits apply to evenly distributed weight across a platform rather than at concentrated points.
The Buildings Department told the South China Morning Post that officers sent to inspect the building after the accident found a section of scaffolding running from the ground floor to the first floor had collapsed.
But it stressed that the main building scaffolding and the upper platform section posed no immediate danger.
The department said the contractor involved had promptly removed the fallen bamboo, adding it would continue to liaise with the building owners’ corporation and contractor over taking apart the remaining structure.
It vowed to investigate the cause of the collapse and consider prosecuting the contractor or taking disciplinary action if any breaches of the Buildings Ordinance were found. -- SOUTH CHINA MORNING POST
