Safety concerns on site
WORKPLACE Health and Safety has received multiple complaints about the $550 million Commonwealth Games Athletes Village, despite only one ambulance being called to the site in the year since work began.
The watchdog has received 10 notifications about the site in 12 months, including seven complaints about health and safety conditions and three reported injuries or dangerous event incidents.
“Statutory notices have been issued in relation to three of these incidents,” a spokesman said yesterday. “WHSQ continues to work closely with Grocon and other contractors at the site to ensure compliance.”
Grocon has defended safety on the Parklands project, which has had more than 1800 people working on it.
Trade assistant Matt Kearney is laid up in a cast for eight weeks after suffering injured ankles when improperlystacked sheeting fell on him at the site last week.
He claims supervisors ignored suggestions that an ambulance be called, instead stretchering him to a car and driving him to a medical centre. Intense pain and swelling prompted the 24-year-old to call an ambulance from home the next day.
“I had more scans at the hospital and found I had a fractured right ankle and a chipped bone in my left ankle,” he said.
The Queensland Ambu- lance Service confirmed they had not been called to the site in the past year until Wednesday, when a worker hurt his back hauling a trolley down some stairs.
Grocon’s David Waldren said the company would always call an ambulance if one was needed.
“In light of this incident, the subcontractor is reviewing their work practices,” he said.
“At no point throughout the investigation has been suggested that any worker on site requested an ambulance be called. It is documented that following the incident the employee stood and walked.”
Mr Waldren said three separate occupational first aiders assessed Mr Kearney before he was driven to the doctor.
At least half of complaints about the site have come from the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Electrical Union.
“We’ve had a run of nearmisses and serious incidents – it’s only a matter of time before there’s a serious injury,” assistant secretary Jade Ingham said.
Mr Waldren said a complaint by the CFMEU of unsafe excavation was found by WHSQ to be unfounded.
“At the time of the one millionth hour being delivered we had recorded one lost time injury – an extremely low statistic – and a credit to the whole team on the project,” he said.
A WHSQ spokeswoman said the government conducted a comprehensive safety audit of the village site at least once a month and submitted a report to the builder.