Xu Jiachen, a veteran of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison who joins the construction of the Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital in Lok Ma Chau, examines the contruction quality.
It was not the first time that Xu Jiachen, a 28-year-old from Central China's Hunan province, had set foot in Hong Kong. Only this time, in early March, the veteran of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison was on another mission in a different uniform.
Xu was one of over 20,000 people mobilized to build the Central Government-Aided Emergency Hospital in Lok Ma Chau near the border with Shenzhen, one of a series of efforts by the central authorities to help Hong Kong battle its worst-ever wave of the COVID-19 outbreak.
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Clad in an orange reflective vest and a pair of galoshes that splattered with numerous mud stains, the safety director of the China Construction Shenzhen Decoration Company, began his daily patrol on the construction site of the emergency hospital at 7 am.
Although my role is different now… my mission remains to protect the people of Hong Kong.
Xu Jiachen, PLA Hong Kong Garrison veteran
His primary duty is to detect potential safety hazards caused by improper manual operation or mechanical failure in order to ensure the safety of the site and the workers.
"Although my role is different now," Xu said, "my mission remains to protect the people of Hong Kong."
Xu served at the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison from 2013 to 2015. On the day he left Hong Kong, it did not occur to him that he would have a second chance to contribute to the well-being of Hong Kong people.
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Xu, in charge of on-site construction safety management, leads a team of eight to patrol the construction site 24 hours a day in shifts. Night patrols are especially important, he said. "It's easy to let our guard down at night when the light is dim, leading to possible accidents," Xu said.
The time-sensitivity of the project and the demand for manpower meant increased workloads for people like Xu, who had to pay attention to detail.
Xu's daily inspection of the site sometimes uncovered things that may have seemed trivial but could have led to unimaginable consequences. He would supervise and urge workers to follow safety guidelines, including keeping the protective covers on construction tools such as angle grinders, which are used to cut construction material.
To prevent safety hazards, the project adopted many new practices, said Xu. For instance, many of the machines at the site are powered by batteries. Such "wire-free" design reduces the number of power lines on the ground, preventing accidents, he said.
Xu will stay on-site until the project is completed. After that, he said he will pay a long-overdue visit to his parents' home in Hunan province.
williamxu@chinadailyhk.com