WorkCover investigating construction site fall in Sydney

WorkCover NSW is investigating an incident at a construction site in the Sydney suburb of Caringbah after a male worker fell five floors down the outside of an elevator shaft, suffering serious injuries.

Initial reports indicate that the worker was working on a scaffold, stripping formwork from the outside of the fifth-floor elevator shaft, when he fell to the ground. He was taken to hospital in a serious condition.

WorkCover has sent an inspector to the site to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident as well as an assessment of safety at the site.

WorkCover NSW General Manager Work Health and Safety Division John Watson said the incident was a reminder of the risks of working from heights with scaffolding: “Working from heights can be dangerous and, as this incident highlights, a fall can result in serious injury or death.

“Under occupational health and safety law, workplaces must have safety systems to prevent workers falling from heights. Workers are required to follow the procedures set out by their employer, while employers must provide a safe workplace by identifying foreseeable hazards, assessing their risks and taking action to eliminate or control those risks. Workers must receive information, instruction, training and supervision in risk control procedures.”

WorkCover NSW recommends the following safety measures to prevent falls from heights when working on scaffolding:

• Select and install suitable scaffolding for the task;
• Ensure scaffolding is correctly tied to the building, allowing for access by tradespersons and various weather conditions;
• Don’t overload scaffolding with excessive amounts of materials and equipment;
• Appoint a scaffold coordinator to manage scaffold use by subcontractors;
• Use a competent person properly accredited to erect and dismantle the scaffold if it’s greater than four metres; and
• Make sure everyone on site using the scaffold is properly trained and supervised.

The erection and dismantling of scaffolding must be carried out in accordance with AS/NZS 1576.1:1995 ‘Scaffolding, Part 1 General requirements’ and WorkCover’s industry safety standard ‘Erecting, altering and dismantling scaffolding, Part 1 - Prefabricated steel modular scaffolding’.