Tunneller Survives Death Trap

A worker was lucky to escape with his life when pinned by a "death trap" crane used on the Epping to Chatswood railway line.

Construction company Hoch-Teif ordered staff to use equipment the Construction Forestry Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) had already fingered as faulty.

A subsequent audit by CFMEU and WorkCover exposed a number of safety breaches, including unlicensed formwork and faulty cranes, with WorkCover issuing seven rectification notices.

"This company has shown complete disregard for the safety of its workers,' says CFMEU secretary Andrew Ferguson. "The attitude to safety on this job created an environment that was a recipe for someone to get killed.

"Does a worker have to die before employers will take safety seriously?"

Other safety issues that emerged during the audit included scaffolding at tunnel entrances that created risks of falls and a faulty electrical system.

CFMEU safety expert Dick Whitehead said safety on the job had "gone out the window". He called the Hoch-Teif cranes "death traps".

Hoch-Teif brought in safety expert, John Nankara from CraneSafe Australia, to examine the cranes at the centre of the near fatality.

Nankara, one of 6 accredited crane safety inspectors in NSW, slammed the defective cranes.

The cranes are now undergoing major repairs and workers will be left hanging for up to two weeks until the work is complete.

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

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Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Nov-2005 20:37:38 EST