Worker Left to Suffer in Shed

A 21-year-old apprentice who suffered life-threatening injuries at a building site was left in a shed without medical care, despite being within 150 metres of a Newcastle hospital emergency department.

Cameron Ayliffe suffered serious internal injuries after being crushed by a scissor-lift while working on a project at John Hunter Hospital.

CFMEU Newcastle organiser Russell Cunningham said site management, John Holland, took Ayliffe to a site shed and phoned a doctor, who told them to leave him for an hour and observe his condition.

It was 45 minutes until Ayliffe was taken to hospital.

"Luckily Cameron's boss from Temp Air Manufacturing saw how serious the injury was and rushed him to the emergency department in his car, in a move that may well have saved Cameron's life," Cunningham said.

Ayliffe has undergone major surgery and there are still concerns about whether he will recover.

CFMEU state safety co-ordinator Dick Whitehead said it was one of the most appalling breaches of workplace safety he had ever seen.

"Here we have a young worker with life threatening injuries caused by potential safety breaches, and rather than get a medical professional to treat this bloke, John Holland's management decided that they knew best," Whitehead said.

"It is outrageous that anyone could be stupid enough to risk this young man's life by moving him after a serious injury, and not calling an ambulance or doctor from the hospital to treat him.

"The CFMEU will be investigating this incident fully, and we are calling on all building companies to look after their workers, especially apprentices, and make sure safety is put first on their projects."

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Last modified: Tuesday, 15-Nov-2005 20:37:34 EST