A terribly unlucky construction worker in Melbourne’s west has lost his foot after a shocking workplace accident. The Sydney Morning Herald goes into further detail on the incident in the following article.
Source: https://www.smh.com.au/national/victoria/construction-worker-loses-his-foot-after-workplace-accident-20190323-p516xh.html?ref=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_source=rss_feed
A construction worker has lost his foot after a workplace accident at a luxury apartment development in West Melbourne.
The 40-year-old man was working on an external lift at the Melbourne Village complex when his foot was clipped on Saturday afternoon.
The construction site was shut down and the man was rushed to the Royal Melbourne Hospital.
He remains in hospital in a stable condition.
CFMEU assistant branch secretary, Shaun Reardon said on Sunday morning surgeons had been unable to save the man’s foot.
Gerry Ayers, the CFMEU’s occupational health and safety manager, said the man’s colleagues were in shock.
“He’s got a wife and I know he’s got a child [who is] nine, so our thoughts go out to him,” Dr Ayers said.
“As our thoughts go out to the workers who witnessed that, and we’re going to provide counselling for all those workers.”
Earlier, Mr Reardon said the worker’s foot was “hanging from a bit of skin”.
“This is just another horrible example of the life of a construction worker being put at risk in order to build this city,” he said.
“Until governments of both persuasions start protecting the lives of workers instead of turning a blind eye, nothing will change. Our thoughts and support are now firmly with this man and his family.”
The CFMEU and Worksafe Victoria are investigating.
The $171 million luxury apartment development on Spencer St will have 531 apartments and include a swimming pool, wellness centre, library lounge and garden.
This was the latest in a string of separate construction site injuries in the last few months.
In late-February, two construction site workers were taken to hospital after becoming trapped in a collapsed four-metre trench in Epping.
In October last year, a crane driver was treated for suspected spinal and leg injuries after he fell about two metres inside a tower crane on a construction site in Melbourne’s CBD.
In September 2018, a 48-year-old man died when a 1.5-tonne tub of concrete fell from a crane at a work site in Box Hill, in Melbourne’s east.
Two others were injured and submerged in concrete when the crane dropped the tub.
A crane from the same company, Clark Cranes, bent backwards in strong winds in Richmond in July, forcing the evacuation of hundreds of residents.
