July 21, 2008

Master Builders Queensland calls for Australian safety blitz after scaffolding deaths

Australia

Master Builders Queensland (MBQ) has labelled a recent fatal scaffolding collapse a “catastrophic failure” and has called on all its members to undertake urgent safety checks.

MBQ spokesman John Crittall said the deaths of two painters, who fell from scaffolding on a Gold Coast construction site, are an “absolute tragedy,” reports the Queensland Business Review.

“There has been catastrophic failure here,” he said. “The laws are quite specific in regards to installation procedures and engineering requirements. We are encouraging all of our companies that have a swinging stage scaffold to immediately do a complete check of the set and design and make sure it conforms with either the engineer and/or manufacturer specifications.”

Queensland is the only state where workers using scaffolding do not have to be anchored to buildings.

Print | Email | Comment