An employee was sentenced to imprisonment of two weeks by Shatin Magistrates' Courts today (April 9) for violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Ordinance (OSHO). The prosecution was launched by the Labour Department (LD) arising from a fatal accident that occurred on February 10, 2019. The related provision stipulates that an employee must, so far as reasonably practicable, take care for the safety and health of persons who are at the employee's workplace and who may be affected by the employee's acts or omissions at work. The imprisonment sentence is to run concurrently with the imprisonment sentence imposed on the employee for a convicted charge of "causing death by dangerous driving" laid for the same fatal accident case.
The fatal accident occurred on a village road in Nam Wa Po, Tai Po. While a lorry mounted with an elevating work platform was travelling along the village road for street lamp cleaning work, its work platform was kept in a raised position. The raised work platform struck nearby overhead cables and was deformed. A worker who stayed on the raised work platform was trapped by the deformed work platform. He sustained a serious head injury and died on the same day.
The LD's spokesman said, "We will not tolerate any offence of failing to comply with the requirements under the OSHO, and will spare no efforts in prosecuting persons who defy the law."
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