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| Issue No 59 |  |
23 June 2000 |
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NewsBosses Hoist on Own PetardBy H T Lee CFMEU Construction
Four workers were seriously injured on Wednesday 21 June in an accident involving another materials hoist collapse.
The faulty hoist was carrying more than its allowable working load of tiles when it collapsed injuring the four workers who had to be released from the wreckage by the fire brigade and taken to hospital in a serious condition. There have been a spat of accidents involving materials hoists in recent times. The regulations covering the use of these hoists are constantly ignored. According to the Construction Forestry Mining Energy Union (CFMEU) Safety Coordinator Brian Miller there are 100s of these hoists being used all over NSW especially in the home unit sector and unless they are properly regulated serious accidents involving the lives of building workers are waiting to happen. 'WorkCover has recently spent millions of dollars on TV advertisements promoting safety in the workplace. What we need now is a hands on approach to safety.' Miller said WorkCover must make sure all materials hoists meet the manufacturer's specification and comply with the Australian standard (NSW WorkCover regulation) before they are be allowed on site and should only be erected by a qualified erector. The NSW Labor Council has lend its support to the CFMEU in seeking to have WorkCover carry out a comprehensive audit of materials hoists within the construction industry and in particular the home unit development sector. Walsh Bay Site of Another Collapse And yet another accident-this time at the Walsh Bay development site in Millers Point yesterday (Thursday 22 June) when a major wall collapsed into the building and fell onto a crane. It was more good luck than good management no one was hurt-the accident happened during the lunch break. The columns holding the wall collapsed after the roof of the building were removed during the demolition-the columns were supposed to be solid but snapped like match sticks. There are also OHS problems on the site-lead paints could be seen all over the site including at the entrance workers had to walk though. The are asbestos sheeting on site and its removal has not been done in accordance with regulations-bags of asbestos stored in a shed a few meters from the lunch shed of the workers. Project developer Transfield/Mervic seems to be taking the advise of Peter Reith-tell the union as little as possible and don't cooperate fully with them. Representatives of Transfield arrived at the scene after the accident and kept the media away. When asked about the asbestos problems, and the engineers report on the columns, representatives of Transfield present refused to comment-any enquires had to be referred to their public relations officer. Questions about the lead paint, asbestos removal and engineers report regarding the columns were filed to Transfield this morning. However, at the time of writing this article Transfield has failed to reply. According to CFMEU organiser Tom Mitchell and CFMEUCoordinator Brian Parker Transfield had refused to cooperate with them. Mitchell said it seems Transfield is refusing to take responsibility for the job and has passed the buck back to the demolition subbie. No more work has now been carried out on the project.
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   Interview: Holding the LineDiwan Shankar, Assistant National Secretary of the Fiji TUC, is in Australia to consolidate support for his members and plead for ongoing bans. Technology: D-Day for VC?NSW Labor Council secretary Michael Costa explains the motivations behind the new Get on Board computer-internet venture. Legal: Knock, Knock - Who's There?When the nine year old son of CFMEU construction division state secretary Andrew Ferguson recently responded to a Saturday door knock, it was neither a friend nor a Jehovah's Witness. Unions: Are You a Good Listener ?Mark Hearn goes inside the Energy Australia call centre to find a workplace where there is a code for evrything - even trips to the toilet. International: Union Observers Barred from Zimbabwe PollFive observers from the Congress of SA Trade Unions (Cosatu) and 19 other South Africans aligned to Zimbabwe's Catholic Commission for Peace and Justice are among 233 observers barred by the Zimbabwean government from monitoring the parliamentary elections. History: Community, Class, and Comparison Despite its occasional romantic tendencies, new labour scholarship is mapping collective action within working class communities. Satire: Rural Poor Return to LaborThrilled by the great new branding, the new Country Labor party has caused scenes of great rejoicing in the country. Review: The Wicked Webs We WeaveLaborNet web-meastro Paul Howes trawls the web for some hot sites for all you political junkies.
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