WORK SAFETY PARAMOUNT
A THOROUGH review must be conducted into working conditions and practices at the Jewel worksite after a young man was almost crushed to death on the job in an horrific accident this week.
The man, aged in his 20s, is recovering in Gold Coast University Hospital from injuries including six broken ribs, a broken scapula and a punctured lung sustained when he was jammed between a lift and other equipment while he was carrying out maintenance work at the $1 billion building site.
Our thoughts should be with the welfare of the worker in hospital as everyone hopes he makes a full recovery in good time.
The accident has been handed over to Workplace Health and Safety Queensland who must now undertake a full and thorough review of working conditions and safety practices at the site to determine exactly how the incident occurred.
The Bulletin has been told this is not the first serious accident that has occurred on site since work on the mega-construction project began in March 2015.
The CFMEU, the union in charge of the Jewel development site, has questioned practices at the construction site and vowed to ensure incidents such as the one this week don’t happen again.
CFMEU Gold Coast official Scott Vink had no doubts the incident could have been prevented.
“We’re lucky (Tuesday) didn’t eventuate in another fatality, another statistic,” he told the Bulletin yesterday.
“This could have been prevented and workers will be demanding safer practices and supervision being implemented.
“Construction changes from minute to minute, and we’re extremely lucky we’re not talking about a fatality.”
Gold Coast workers led the charge to lobby for the introduction of industrial manslaughter laws in Queensland last year when they rallied outside the ALP convention at Broadbeach.
CFMEU members were also among the hundreds of Coast workers who downed tools recently to remember colleagues who have lost their lives on the job for International Workers Memorial Day on April 28.
Construction is a massive pillar of the Gold Coast’s economy. The city cannot afford any suggestion our building sites are not safe.
Yes, we need them to efficient and well run but the welfare and safety of workers must always come first.
In some cases, these accidents are exactly that but we must remain vigilant and ensure the first consideration is always to minimise any chance of a mishap.
Some workers at the Jewel project have suggested it’s not a harmonious workplace, something not uncommon on building sites often characterised by “blokey environments”.
Everyone deserves to feel safe on the job — not just from physical harm, but from all forms of intimidation. No one should be forced to join a union.
If unions, including the CFMEU, are effective, workers will are more likely to join their ranks. As the CFMEU advises its more than 140,000 members throughout Australia, when it comes to workplace health and safety: “Stand Up. Speak out. Come home.”