INDUSTRIAL BIN FALLS 20 STOREYS, NO ONE INJURED

THE state’s biggest union is investigating all cranes for faulty cables after a bin plunged 20-storeys on a Gold Coast work site this week.

Just before 4pm on Monday emergency services were called to the scene of a crane malfunction at the Morris Group-owned QUBE apartment development at Broadbeach.

A cable carrying an industrial bin filled with dirt reportedly snapped at 20 storeys causing the bin to plummet into the pool where tradies had been working just hours earlier.

CFMEU Gold Coast official Scott Vink said the union was undertaking assessments of other cranes on the Gold Coast for similar issues, and further inspections of cranes in Queensland will be carried out next week.

“It is a bit of a freak accident. We are trying to work out why it happened obviously, our first priority is to look after the guys who are a bit shaken up by it all,” he said.”

The broken cable was taken away for independent assessment.

According to industry sources the crane had been assessed just two weeks earlier.

“We have been doing a number of other inspections of cranes today as this has raised some concerns,” Mr Vink said.

“The manufacturer of the crane rope has also been notified of what has happened, the safety of these ropes is something that we will all be looking at.

“When the crane gets recommissioned we want to be sure it is checked over by an independent certifier.

Workplace Health and Safety Queensland inspectors and engineers have been on site assessing the incident.

Some work at the site is expected to recommence today.

A tradie, who chose not to be named, said he and a number of others are lucky to be alive as they were working on the pool below, just an hour before the crane’s rope snapped.

“I had one mate who was working underneath just before,” he said. “He is lucky he took off early to do a few things after work. On any other day he would have been there.”

The tradie said he was at another part of the building when the load fell.

“I was under there earlier.” he said. “There were heaps of us down there that afternoon, electricians, tilers in the pool, it was lucky it happened when it happened.

“I am going to go and buy a lotto ticket.”

The work site managers met with the employees at around 8.30am yesterday.

CFMEU has provided counselling for those shaken by the incident.

The non disturbance order of the site remains in place.

Morris Property Group said the investigation was ongoing and has declined to comment further.