2 Hong Kong sewer workers die after suspected exposure to hydrogen sulphide while underground
- Chief Executive John Lee says full investigation under way to determine why subcontract workers had ventured underground and whether safety rules followed
- Pair rescued from four-metre-deep manhole chamber, with development chief saying standard procedures do not require workers to access such areas
Two Hong Kong sewer workers have died after suspected exposure to hydrogen sulphide while underground, prompting authorities to temporarily suspend related cleaning operations.
“Everyone has a responsibility to improve industrial safety, including site owners and workers, [we also need] an effective management system,” he said ahead of his weekly Executive Council meeting. “I hope a safety culture can become part of the norm, and everyone will work according to safety guidelines.”
The two men, aged 26 and 34, were found unconscious late on Monday night inside a four-metre-deep (13 feet) manhole chamber.
Development minister Bernadette Linn Hon-ho told lawmakers on Tuesday morning that workers did not need to enter the sewers according to standard procedures, and were only required to use a high-pressure hosepipe to clean the drains from outside.
The workers were cleaning the sewage drains at Yuen Wo Playground in Sha Tin on Monday night, along with two other colleagues.
