Mainland worker falls to death on Galaxy Macau Phase II site

A mainland Chinese worker accidentally fell to his death from scaffolding at the Galaxy Macau Phase II project in Cotai yesterday afternoon, resulting in a suspension of the works at the site ordered by the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL).
The fall of the 55-year-old worker occurred at around 4:05 pm yesterday from a height at 12 metres above the ground, according to the Public Security Police and DSAL.
An investigation conducted by DSAL found that the worker’s safety belt had not been secured properly at the time the accident happened when he was working from scaffolding at the casino-resort site.
‘The Bureau will continue to investigate the cause of the accident, and pursue the legal responsibilities of relevant parties,’ a statement issued by DSAL said yesterday.
All scaffolding works at the accident site were to be suspended, and the contractor also had to submit an accident report to DSAL, the statement reads.
The Galaxy Macau Phase II casino-resort is slated to open on May 27, the same day as the opening of the refurbished Grand Waldo complex branded as Broadway Macau, the Hong Kong-listed casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd. announced in late January.
Galaxy Macau Phase II includes the world’s first all-suite Ritz-Carlton hotel and JW Marriott, with over 1,000 rooms, according to the company at the time of the announcement.
Business Daily approached Galaxy Entertainmentabout the impact the fatal accident has on the upcoming opening of the project, to which the company replied:
‘As the case is currently being handled by the police, we apologise that we are unable to provide further details . . . It is regrettable to learn about the accident and we would like to express our deepest condolences to the family of the deceased.’
The industrial accident that happened at the Galaxy Macau Phase II site yesterday was the third fatal case to occur on a Cotai casino-resort site this year.
The most recent fatal construction-related accident occurred on Friday on the MGM Cotai building site, where a Mainland Chinese worker was reportedly hit by a concrete pump whilst pouring cement.
Another accident had occurred not long before on a neighbouring construction site at Melco Crown Entertainment Ltd.’s City of Dreams Macau retail arcade expansion project, where a local construction worker operating a lifting appliance on the second floor of the expansion site fell to his death on January 20. An alleged over-lifting of the appliance the worker had been using was a suspected cause of the accident, according to DSAL at the time.