A Bridge Too Far

A worker killed in a crane accident has been commemorated with the bridge he was working on being named after him.

A year after the tragic accident the widow, Karen Boland, and her three children, Kate, Tara and Jordan, were on hand at the unveiling of the memorial at the Michael Boland Bridge in Heathcote last week.

"The bridge naming in memory of Michael is welcomed but the best thing the state government can do to show respect for workers killed is to pass industrial manslaughter laws to ensure there are effective penalties to punish employers who recklessly endanger and kill workers," says Karen Boland.

Other family members, friends and union members attended the ceremony to unveil the memorial plaque and naming of the bridge.

"This is not the first fatality on a State Rail project,' says Construction Forestry and Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) Secretary Andrew Ferguson. "The CFMEU is demanding that the state government and all its departments establish better systems to monitor safety on their projects."

A NSW Parliamentary Inquiry into Serious Injury and Death in the Workplace has received thousands of petitions also calling for industrial manslaughter laws.

The petition was coordinated by Kim Williams a teenage friend of Joel Exner, who was killed on a building site in Sydney's west in October last year.

"Like negligent car drivers who drink drive and kill, employers who cut corners for profits and kill must be held accountable," says Williams.

Public In Danger

The recent collapse of tonnes of pebbles from a synthetic bag at a suburban building site in St Leonards has led to the CFMEU moving to protect the safety of construction workers and members of the public.

"We were fortunate no one was killed," says CFMEU Secretary Andrew Ferguson. "If this safety issue is not addressed we face the prospect of workers and members of the public being killed or seriously injured."

The CFMEU intends to eliminate the threat by demanding changes to the way materials are handled. If builders do not cooperate the union has recommended that workers should "sit in the sheds until this safety problem is fixed".

To discuss this and many other interesting OH & S topics visit our discussion boards at http://unionsafe.labor.net.au/shoptalk/

© 2002 UNIONSAFE
This site is sponsored by the Workcover Authority of NSW for Labor Council of NSW

Site designed and engineered by Social Change Online [credits]
This page: http://unionsafe.net.au/news/10778485686738.html
Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Nov-2005 20:37:38 EST