Painter found dead at military barracks after falling while working; concern group urges improved safety measures
Hong Kong Free Press
A 67-year-old painter has been found dead at the Shek Kong Barracks, a military base in the New Territories used by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army.
Police said on Tuesday that an initial investigation suggested the woman had fallen from a ladder while working at the location.
Police received a report at 6.35 am on Tuesday saying a worker had been found unconscious in the barracks. She was certified dead after police arrived at the scene.
An autopsy was required to determine the cause of death, the police added.
Local media outlets reported that the worker was employed by a construction company. She lost contact with her family after calling her daughter at noon on Monday, and her family reported her missing at midnight Tuesday.
The family went to Shek Kong Barracks early on Tuesday morning to search for the elderly worker, where she was found unconscious, Ming Pao reported.
Fay Siu, the chief executive of the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, told HKFP by phone on Wednesday that the labour group was yet to reach to the family of the female worker.
Siu said the incident marked the third time this year a worker had been reported missing and later found dead at a work site.
The labour group urged Hong Kong employers to strengthen safety management and make sure working conditions were safe and that workers were signing off from construction sites, especially when working alone.
“There should be a digital system in construction sites where workers are required to check in when they start work and sign off when they finish, and employers should be alerted if anyone does not check out of the system on time,” Siu said in Cantonese. “If there’s no such system, employers should keep in touch with their employees to check their safety.”
Siu also reminded construction workers to keep their family informed about whom they are working for and where.
Workers lost contact after work
In March, after a construction worker failed to return home, his family notified his site supervisor that he was missing.
After checking the CCTV images and patrolling the site, the worker was found unconscious and was sent to Tuen Mun Hospital, where he was later confirmed dead.
Siu said on October 10, another male worker was found dead in a construction site in Lok Ma Chau after his family lost contact with him after work hours. The family had reached out to the labour group for assistance.
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