Hong Kong crane collapse signals need for metal fatigue testing: expert

2026.03.20 05:50 A tower crane collapsed at a construction site on Thursday. Photo: Sam Tsang Hong Kong should review its crane safety guidelines to include mandatory testing for metal fatigue, an industry expert has said after the city recorded another fatal case involving a collapse. An operator was killed on Thursday afternoon when a tower crane fell at a construction site for the second phase of a public housing project on Tai Wo Hau Road, toppling onto a slope opposite Pik Kwai House at Kwai Chung Estate. The project’s main contractor, Woon Lee Construction, was previously fined by authorities over two fatal incidents at its sites in 2009 and 2011. Chau Sze-kit, chairman of the Hong Kong Construction Industry Employees General Union, warned on Friday that the current mechanical inspections were insufficient. Chau said it was his understanding that the tower crane had undergone a thorough inspection earlier this month and was subject to regular daily checks. “However, the checks were primarily visual inspection or mechanical tests of cables, and they did not cover metal fatigue. It remains to be seen whether the current inspection scope is sufficient,” he said. Chau said the crane at the site had only been in use for two to three years. He noted that under Labour Department guidelines, only tower cranes used for more than 15 years need to undergo non-destructive testing on bolts and non-welded sections. An expert has called for metal fatigue testing in light of the crane collapse on Thursday. Photo: Jelly Tse The machines only required a weld test on 10 per cent of their joints, while metal fatigue was excluded from the inspection requirements, he said. “A formal review of the guidelines is needed,” he said. He said that the recent adoption of Modular Integrated Construction (MiC), in which pre-finished modules are built in factories and then assembled on site into complete buildings, might have significantly increased both the crane’s workload and its frequency

原文链接: 南华早报