Construction worker fatality after fall from height

A worker who allegedly fell through a stair void at a construction site at Rosebud over a week ago has died in hospital.

The man, in his 40s, was working on a housing construction site when the incident took place.

It is alleged he was carrying out internal plastering work at a townhouse before he fell. He was taken to hospital in a critical condition, but later died. WorkSafe Victoria is investigating the incident.

The man was the second worker to die as a result of a serious fall at a Victorian construction site in three days.

In the same week, a man in his 30s died when he allegedly fell into a deep 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,” 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.

According to WorkSafe, they can also:

• use fall prevention devices such as scaffolds, perimeter screens, guardrails, elevated work platforms or safety mesh;
• use travel-restraint systems, industrial rope-access systems, catch platforms and fall arrest harness systems;
• use suitable equipment for working at height. A step platform with handrails provides a larger, more stable surface than a ladder.
   

Extensive guidance on working safely at height can be accessed at worksafe.vic.gov.au.

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