At around 12:26 p.m. on 10 June 2019, an electrical accident occurred during the maintenance works of overhead lines at the Shek Kong Stabling Sidings of the MTR Corporation Limited (MTRCL). Three maintenance technicians were injured and hospitalised. Among them, two sustained second degree burns and one suffered first degree burns.
On the day of the accident, a group of maintenance technicians, including an authorised staff of the MTRCL and seven technicians of the contractor, was carrying out maintenance works for overhead lines at three sections at the Shek Kong Stabling Sidings. A number of maintenance technicians were required to inspect the overhead lines on the working platform of an overhead line inspection vehicle. While the overhead lines of the concerned sections were made dead, the power supply to the rest of the Shek Kong Stabling Sidings remained uninterrupted. Upon completion of maintenance works at one section, the authorised staff instructed the technicians to move the inspection vehicle to a live section for shunting. However, the authorised staff failed to instruct the technicians on the inspection vehicle to leave the working platform before the vehicle entered the live section. Besides, the authorised staff did not brief the technicians on the condition of the sections prior to the maintenance works in accordance with the safety procedures. When the inspection vehicle entered the live section, three technicians on the working platform were unable to maintain sufficient safety clearance with the live overhead line. Thereafter, arcing occurred between the overhead line and an object on the working platform, causing explosion and injuries to the three technicians.
After the accident, the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department (EMSD) immediately deployed staff to the scene for investigation. After thoroughly examined the cause of this and other electrical accidents of the MTRCL, the EMSD issued a letter to the MTRCL on 28 May 2020 requesting the Corporation to improve, among other aspects, its staff training, operation procedures and site supervision, adopt new technologies to assist in asset management, and enhance the guidance from senior management to strengthen the MTRCL’s safety culture and management accountability. The MTRCL submitted a report to the EMSD on 28 July 2020 including improvement measures, the implementation progress of which will be timely scrutinised by the EMSD.