City of Dreams casino stops construction following fatal accident

truction of the fifth casino tower to be built at the Macau City of Dreams casino complex was suspended last Friday following the accidental death of a 33-year-old Chinese construction worker.

The man who has not been named was working at the site’s 30th floor when a steel beam which was being moved on a higher level 10 metres above fell 33ft on the man killing him instantly.

Following the accident, officials from Macau’s government issued a statement saying that: “The Labour Affairs Bureau has issued the immediate suspension of all works at the construction site, in order to protect the safety of other workers; and ordered the contractor immediately to review the current occupational health and safety procedures [at the site]… and submit a detailed report of investigation.”

The fifth tower, also known as Morpheus, is billed as ‘The world’s first free-form exoskeleton high rise’ and was designed by the late Dame Zaha Hadid. It is scheduled to open in April 2018 and includes accommodation, restaurants, shopping outlets, a casino and a water-based circus known as The House of Dancing Water.

Officials from the Labour Affairs Bureau previously ordered the suspension of the construction of the upcoming Grand Lisboa Palace casino following a similar fatal accident that occurred last month, a suspension which has still not been lifted to date.

As a result of the increase in work-related accidents on building sites, the Labour Affairs Bureau conducted snap inspections on a total of 74 construction sites throughout the Macau area, partially or totally suspending construction at 20 of those sites, pending introduction of improved work safety measures.

Picture: cityofdreamsmacau.com