Worker dies after packaging machine crushes his head

A worker died after his head was crushed by a packaging machine in a Tai Po factory yesterday.

Emergency personnel were called to the Amoy Food Limited factory building on Dai Fu Street at 8.40am after the 43-year-old man, surnamed Wan, was found with his head trapped in the machine.

“An initial investigation suggested the worker was inspecting the machine at the time and a mechanical part came down ... and crushed his head,” a police source said.

The insider said one of Wan’s colleagues had stopped the machine and called police.

According to the force, the 43-year-old was freed by firefighters. A police spokesman said the man had serious head injuries and was unconscious while being carried into an ambulance.

The worker was sent to Alice Ho Miu Ling Nethersole Hospital, where he was declared dead.

Police classified the case as an industrial accident.

Officers have informed the Labour Department to follow up on the incident.

The department said it had sent staff to the factory after receiving the report of the accident and was conducting an investigation into Wan’s death.

Another source said the man had worked on the production line for packaging soy sauce products and was responsible for inspecting and cleaning the machine involved.

Amoy’s factory in Tai Po was established in 1987 and produces various soy and chilli sauces, vinegar and seasoning items as well as frozen foods, such as dim sum and dumplings.

According to the company’s website, its products are marketed in more than 40 countries, including the United States, Britain, Australia and Japan.