SafeWork NSW is continuing to investigate the scaffolding collapse in Macquarie Park on Monday (1 April) in which one person died and another was critically injured.
The site is expected to be closed until SafeWork is satisfied that it is safe and all evidence has been collected.
Executive Director of SafeWork NSW, Tony Williams said the outcomes of the investigation were expected to take some time to gather meaningful and constructive results.
“SafeWork will examine a range of factors including the qualifications of relevant workers, environmental conditions, the load carried by the scaffolding, as well as the design, construction and maintenance of scaffolding,” Mr Williams said.
He said SafeWork was working with NSW Police, who are running a separate investigation.
SafeWork is also preparing a report for the Coroner.
Mr Williams said a prohibition notice had been issued to the construction company, preventing access to work on the ground floor and basement levels of the site.
“Notices have also been issued to the construction company to ensure the safe release of an inactive crane’s load at the site,” he said.
“Engineers were assessing whether the structural integrity of the crane, as well as the electrical supply to it, had not been affected by the collapse of the scaffolding.”
He said SafeWork was currently running Operation Scaf Safe which commenced on 1 April as one focus of its Towards Zero Falls From Heights Campaign which will run until 2022.
“SafeWork Inspectors are visiting sites across NSW to ensure that businesses understand the safety requirements involved in creating a safe environment for workers using scaffolding and working from a height” he said.
“The decision to focus efforts on scaffold safety resulted in part from a compliance blitz conducted in 2018, which found almost 50 per cent of scaffolding to be non-compliant.”
Mr Williams said a total of 1,258 notices were issued, including 93 related to risk of falls, and on-the-spot fines totalling $265,680.
He said operation Scaf Safe was expected to run until September 2019.
