Watchdog, union concerned for Nexus workers
WORKPLACE Health and Safety Queensland said it is seriously concerned about the “high number” of dangerous incidents at Nexus’ $1.6 billion Toowoomba Second Range Crossing project.
To date, WHSQ said they were aware of 14 mobile plant rollovers at the site since construction began last year, and another three incidents where there was “uncontrolled movement of the plant without a rollover”.
The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union has blasted Nexus over the numerous on-site incidents, with assistant state secretary Andrew Sutherland saying the Toowoomba Second Range Crossing, under Nexus’ management, “remains the worst job currently running in the civil sector”.
“It’s had the highest number of incidents, highest number of repetitive issues, highest number of safety issues, and highest number of call-outs for us to go to the job regarding complaints about health and safety,” Mr Sutherland said.
The various plant rollovers have involved a range of machines, from excavators to rollers, cranes, and even a concrete boom pump.
A Nexus spokesperson said the company had been “unhappy about the number of plant incidents”.
Works on the Second Range Crossing were briefly brought to a halt last month when a concrete pump rolled.
The Nexus spokesperson said: “We take safety very seriously and works were recently stopped on site to review safe work practices”.
“As a result we are implementing a number of changes. These changes include new hazard identification processes, expanding and restructuring on-site safety committees, increasing consultation with workers and implementing changes to our dedicated safety culture program,” the spokesperson said.
Since that site-wide work stoppage, Workplace Health and Safety Queensland has issued another three notices, bringing the total number of notices issued to Nexus or its subcontractors to 28.
The CFMEU said it would be surprising to see statutory notifications in the double figures for any job over the life of a project.
“We’re not even half way done they’ve had nearly 20 pieces of plant rollover and more improvement and prohibition notices than I can remember any job ever getting,” Mr Sutherland said.
“I would like to see the state government step in and hold them to account for the level of healthy and safety maintained on the job.
“If they can’t maintain that level, then they need to be booted off the job.”
Nexus said it was committed to safety on the TSRC project.