Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts today handed down a review decision, accepting the Government's application for a review of an earlier court sentence and increasing the fines imposed on the relevant contractors. The Labour Department welcomes the decision.

The case involved a fatal accident that occurred on December 14, 2022, at a construction site in Yau Tong. A worker, while dismantling an I-beam, was struck and killed by the suddenly collapsed I-beam.

Aggressive Construction Engineering, High Grade Engineering and a contractor were prosecuted by the department for violations of the Factories & Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations, and were fined $36,000, $43,000 and $35,000 respectively at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts on October 31, 2024.

After the sentencing, the Government filed a review application with the court regarding the fines imposed on the relevant contractors.

The review hearing was brought up today before the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts. The fines imposed on Aggressive Construction Engineering, High Grade Engineering and the contractor were increased to $74,000, $79,000 and $74,000 respectively.

The department said that the ruling reflects the severity of occupational safety and health offences, and will disseminate a clear message to all contractors that they have to protect workers' safety and health at work in accordance with the laws.

The Government will continue to pay attention to court rulings and will file review applications for cases where the sentences are relatively light.