Mixed results in cement sweep
Authorities have sought to set their safety message in stone, after a sweep of concrete truck compliance.
Nearly a third of trucks checked had to be taken of the road following WorkSafe ACT’s safety blitz.
The sweep was instigated by the 2012 death of builder Ben Catanzari, who was killed by a collapsing concrete boom at a construction site.
WorkSafe officers inspected 19 truck-mounted concrete chutes state-wide, issuing improvement notices to 11 while ordering six to be taken off the road.
One truck had been issued a prohibition notice just days before being checked, and was sitll operating virtually unchanged.
Follow-up audits will be undertaken during the coming months.
WorkSafe Commissioner Mark McCabe as told the ABC that the attitude of some operators shows safety sweeps should be undertaken.
“In one of the responses as to why they hadn't done this major six-yearly maintenance exercise, the owner said he can judge whether or not the truck is safe or not, himself,” he said.
“That was the sort of attitude right across the industry, that blatant disregard for the potential consequences.
“We were pretty astonished,” Mr McCabe said.