COD works suspended

An industrial accident occurred on the retail arcade expansion site of City of Dreams yesterday morning resulting in the death of a local construction worker. A suspension order has been issued for the works at the site by the Labour Affairs Bureau, Business Daily has learnt.
At around 10:00 am yesterday, a 29-year-old local construction worker operating a lifting appliance on the second floor of the expansion site – at a height of about 10 metres off the ground – fell to his death, the Labour Affairs Bureau and the police have announced.
The fatal fall was due to the alleged overlifting of the appliance that the worker had been using at the time, the Labour Affairs Bureau said.
The accident took place near Gate No. 3 of the retail arcade expansion project site of City of Dreams in Cotai. The gross floor area of the expansion site occupies 17,000 square metres, according to the main contractor of the project, Chun Wo Development Holdings Ltd.
In a press statement issued yesterday evening, the Labour Affairs Bureau said that it has already ordered the contractor ‘to immediately suspend the use of all lifting appliances’ on the accident site.
‘The Bureau has also requested a full examination of the lifting procedures and equipment at the site…’ the press statement reads. ‘The Bureau will continue to investigate the cause of the accident, and to pursue the legal responsibilities of relevant parties.’
The Labour Affairs Bureau also told Business Daily that a suspension order has already been issued to the City of Dreams retail arcade expansion site. An analysis report of the industrial accident and updated measures of compliance to safety standards have to be submitted before work can resume at the site, according to the Bureau.
In previous company statements, the operator of City of Dreams, Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd., noted that the retail arcade was anticipated to be operational in 2016. The retail expansion project, which started in March last year, is expected to be completed in September this year, Chun Wo noted on its official website and company filing.
Business Daily asked Melco Crown Entertainment for a comment about the fatal industrial accident but had not received a reply by the time the story went to press.
Aside from the retail arcade expansion at the City of Dreams casino-resort, Melco Crown is currently building a fifth hotel tower at the site, which is scheduled to open in the first half of 2017, according to previous company statements.