Hong Kong court increases fines on contractors over fatal construction site accident

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A LD spokesperson said this move will disseminate a clear message to all contractors about their legal responsibility to safeguard workers' safety and health at work.

Hong Kong’s Labour Department (LD) has welcomed the decision by the Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts to revise an earlier sentencing and increase fines imposed on contractors involved in a fatal construction site accident.

The incident occurred on 14 December 2022 at a site in Yau Tong, where a worker was fatally struck while dismantling an I-beam.

Aggressive Construction Engineering Limited, High Grade Engineering Limited, and a contractor were prosecuted by the LD for breaching the Factories and Industrial Undertakings Ordinance and its subsidiary regulations.

In the original ruling on 31 October 2024, the relevant contractors were fined HK$36,000, HK$43,000, and HK$35,000 respectively at Kwun Tong Magistrates' Courts. The Government, deeming the penalties insufficient, filed a review application with the court.

The court accepted the application and handed down a revised decision on 11 September 2025, increasing the fines to HK$74,000, HK$79,000, and HK$74,000 respectively.

A spokesperson for the LD said the ruling underscores the severity of occupational safety and health offences, and will disseminate a clear message to all contractors about their legal responsibility to safeguard workers' safety and health at work.

The spokesperson added that the Government will continue to pay attention to court rulings and will seek reviews for cases where the sentences are relatively light.