Lately there have been a spate of deaths related to 'working at heights'. In April a Qantas worker fell to her death from a plane at Brisbane Airport. This month at least 3 Qld workers have fallen to their deaths. Safety while working at heights is no joke! The Qld 'Blue Card' or Course in General Safety Induction (Construction Industry) aims to ensure all workers in the construction industry are aware of the obligations of all parties under the Qld Workplace Health and Safety Act 1995.
DELTRA Australia offers the Blue Card course. Call us on 07 3274 6199 for more information on this.
For more on the dangers of working at heights, see the story below:
Horrific 26-storey death fall
June 22, 2008 12:00am
TWO building workers screamed for help just seconds before they plummeted 26 floors to their deaths on a Gold Coast high-rise construction site yesterday morning.
The men slid off an outdoor swinging stage as one side slumped and left them dangling from harnesses before the platform collapsed and they fell.Shocked workers at the almost-completed Meriton Pegasus apartment block at Broadbeach looked up as the men cried out for help, and saw them fall.
One of the dead workers, New Zealander Chris Gear, 36, was a father of two who sang in a Gold Coast band.
The other man, Steve Sayer, 52, had a partner and had just bought a house.
The two men had been patching concrete on outside walls, working from a swinging stage suspended from the top of the building, anchored by counterweights.
Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union state secretary Michael Ravbar said it appeared the counterweights had somehow come over the top of the building.
"The blokes screamed out and a lot of people turned around and saw them hanging from the harness and the next minute the counterweights have come over the top," Mr Ravbar said.
Three ambulances were sent to the scene but the men died instantly about 9.30am.
About 100 workers were on the site when the accident occurred, working on the 181-apartment resort-style building which is due to open in September.
A worker who witnessed the tragedy said: "I'm going to have nightmares for the rest of my life".
Work was suspended immediately, with many men leaving the site visibly upset.
"Everyone is really a mess," worker Bradley O'Carroll said.
Meriton's Sydney-based owner Harry Triguboff hired a private plane to get to the site yesterday after learning of the accident.
He said the cause of the fall was puzzling because there had been no wind, the workers were very experienced and they had "the best materials".
It was the first work site fatality for the company which had built more than 60,000 units, the billionaire said.
"I'm deeply shocked. It has never happened to us before," Mr Triguboff said.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd began his speech at the Queensland Labor conference at the nearby Gold Coast Convention Centre by mentioning the tragedy.
"As Labor people, our thoughts are with the families of those men and this terrible accident reminds us all . . . of the dangers which continue to affect so many of the work sites of Australia," Mr Rudd said.
Union delegate Garry Partridge said he knew the two men well.
"They were both such happy fellows. That makes it even harder to deal with.
"I spoke with both of them just yesterday, and Chris yelled out: 'It's a beautiful day'."
Source: Sunday Tasmanian
