Widow of Hong Kong repairman who died after working 59 hours plans legal action

The widow of a lift repairman who died last year after working for 59 hours straight is planning to take legal action against her late husband’s employer, as an advocacy group raised concerns about the city’s lack of laws protecting against overwork.

The widow, who only wished to be identified as Mrs Chan, said on Wednesday that her late husband, Chan Ka-yee, had worked for Sigma Elevator for more than 25 years before he died in July last year at the age of 59.

“He left for work at around 7am on July 6 [last year] and did not return until almost 9pm,” she recalled, adding that he had only spent a few hours at home before he was called back to work.

“I had prepared dinner and we ate together and chatted casually at the table … I never imagined we would be at the hospital the next time we saw each other,” she said.

The widow added that the couple had conflicting work hours, meaning she was unable to see her late husband in the days before his collapse.

On July 9, 2024, Chan Ka-yee collapsed at a worksite while helping a colleague. He was pronounced dead at around 7pm that day.