Government Mulls New Stage Safety Rules

The Secretary for Culture, Sports and Tourism, Kevin Yeung, said on Sunday that the government is planning a pilot scheme to ensure stage safety during large-scale performances.

Speaking on a TVB programme, Yeung noted that, at present, anyone who rents the Hong Kong Coliseum has to ensure all stage installations they bring in – including overhead set-ups – meet safety standards, and appoint an authorised person to certify everything was sound and safe.

He said the government is thinking about whether to add another round of inspection by a third party.

But he said since the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, which owns the coliseum, is not responsible for engineering works, it has to recruit outside experts, and it’s not yet been decided who should shoulder the cost.

He said authorities are also considering issuing a guideline to make sure dancers have sufficient time for rehearsals before a performance.

He said officers had been in talks with concert organisers, but they are still trying to hammer out details on the matters.

The discussion followed an interdepartmental task force inquiry into how a giant LED screen fell onto the stage during a concert by boy band Mirror and seriously injured two dancers in July.