A construction worker in his 40s has died in hospital after falling through a stair void at a construction site in Victoria last week. It is believed the man was carrying out internal plastering work at a townhouse before the incident last Friday.
He was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but died on Saturday.
The man was the second worker to die as a result of a serious fall at a Victorian construction site in three days. Last Thursday, a man in his 30s died after falling into a trench at a housing estate at Wallan.
WorkSafe Acting Executive Director of Health and Safety Paul Fowler, said the death was a tragic outcome following what was a terrible week for safety at Victorian worksites.
“We cannot stress enough that the risk of serious injury or death from falls from height at construction sites is real, and cannot be ignored,” Mr Fowler said.
“Even falls from a relatively low height often result in fatalities or life changing injuries.
“The reasonably practicable control measures to be applied are known and readily available, and employers and workers all need to work together to put these in place to ensure they are followed at all times.”
Employers Can:
- Eliminate the risk by doing all or some of the work on the ground or from a solid construction
- Implement travel-restraint systems, industrial rope-access systems, catch platforms and fall arrest harness systems
- Make use of fall prevention devices such as scaffolds, perimeter screens, guardrails, elevated work platforms or safety mesh
- Use suitable equipment for working at height. A step platform with handrails provides a larger, more stable surface than a ladder
Source: WorkSafe VIC, 24 August 2018
