Crushing death 'due to cost-cutting' ( 70 Views )

1. THE construction union has blamed cost cutting for the death of a truck driver as he was unloading a delivery of steel in Melbourne today. The man, aged in his 50s, was crushed between two trucks at a construction site in Northcote, in Melbourne's north, becoming the 15th work-related fatality in Victoria this year. He had been operating a crane truck lifting steel from a semi-trailer parked beside it, when the crane truck tipped 45 degrees and he was crushed between the two vehicles. WorkSafe spokesman Michael Birt said the man managed to free himself and workmates gave him CPR until ambulance crews arrived. Metropolitan Ambulance Service (MAS) paramedic Craig Hazelwood said the man suffered extensive chest and neck injuries, and paramedics tried in vain to save him. The man had been unloading steel for a new apartment block on McCutcheon Street when the accident occurred about 7.45am (AEDT). The Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) said the man's death was entirely preventable. CFMEU Victoria assistant secretary Bill Oliver said the crane truck had not been adequately steadied by its outriggers and did not meet set safety procedures.
   
   "Had the right machinery been used, and the correct procedure been followed, this man would be returning home from work today,'' he said. "What has occurred here is a tray truck and driver have been used in the place of a mobile crane and a trained mobile crane crew. "It is completely unacceptable for a company to put workers' lives at risk to cut costs. "This accident, like all workplace accidents, was completely preventable.'' Mr Oliver said under CFMEU guidelines, a mobile crane crew should be made up of three trained workers and follow procedures to ensure safe operation. A road permit and road closure were also required for mobile cranes, as well as a set-up procedure to ensure the machinery was stable. WorkSafe has launched an investigation into the accident, which comes just days after it launched a graphic advertising campaign to curb the number of workplace injuries.
   
   (levent, Turkey)

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