The building and construction industry in Australia is off to a bad start to Safe Work Week as two men in New South Wales have been injured after a brick wall collapsed on them on a building site in Sydney’s west earlier this week.
According to media reports, the men, aged 28 and 69, were working on the third floor of a building site in Bonnyrigg when the wall collapsed shortly after 9 a.m. on Monday.
The reports suggest that both men suffered leg injuries and were taken to Liverpool Hospital in a serious condition.
An ambulance spokeswoman told the AAP that it took paramedics about one hour to free the men and bring them down.
“They were up on the third level of the building site so there was a little bit of difficulty accessing them,” the spokeswoman says.
Monday’s incident came as the national health and safety watchdog Safe Work Australia celebrates Safe Work Australia Week (Oct. 21-27), an annual event which encourages all Australians to focus on improving health and safety in their workplace.
Safe Work Australia chairman Tom Phillips says a key area of focus this year will revolve around the concept of a Safety Ambassador – employees at any level within the organisation who lead by example and motivate their colleagues to adopt proactive measures to prevent injuries.
These ‘Safety Ambassadors’ receive access to a range of Safe Work Australia Week resources and have the opportunity to enter the Safety Ambassador of the Year Award.
“A Safety Ambassador is someone with a passion for work health and safety who is dedicated to making their workplace safer,” Phillips says. “They can be a worker at any level who is willing to lead by example and motivate their workplace to participate in Safe Work Australia Week.”
In addition to Safe Work Australia, state-based health and safety authorities are holding a range of events to promote safe work practices throughout the month of October.
