The mother of an 18-year-old apprentice who was crushed in a fatal scaffolding collapse has called for new laws so that no other family loses a child in a similar way.
In April 2019, Christopher Cassaniti died after an overloaded perimeter façade (about 18 tonnes above its maximum capacity) collapsed, trapping him and his colleague Khaled Wehbe on a Macquarie Park construction site.
The ties that should have connected the scaffolding to the corresponding building were also removed.
Now his mother, Patrizia, has called on New South Wales to catch up with other mainland states to legislate industrial manslaughter as its own offence.
‘I will never get justice for my son and it hurts me. It is something that cannot be accepted, but I hope that the families of the future will not have to go through this anguish,” Cassaniti said, describing his son as an “exceptional and kind child.”
“I want those laws to be deterrents and prevent people from doing the wrong thing and putting workers at risk of death.”
Christopher Cassaniti (pictured) died after an overloaded perimeter façade collapsed, trapping him and colleague Khaled Wehbe on a construction site.
Christopher had skipped his lunch break and was working alongside colleague Khaled Wehbe, 39, when 30 meters of scaffolding collapsed on them.
Their plea comes as the government prepares to present the legislation to parliament this week.
It is understood the bill would make industrial manslaughter a criminal offense carrying penalties of up to 25 years in prison and civil fines of up to $20 million, the highest of any jurisdiction.
Cassaniti, who will speak alongside NSW Industrial Relations Minister Sophie Cotsis at a rally calling for change on Monday, says the new law would change lives.
“I would like this law not only to put corporations and companies on alert, but also to individuals,” he said.
‘All managers, officials and workers must be responsible for safety and if they are found to have done something that caused the death of a person due to their negligence and reckless behavior, I want them to be prosecuted and go to jail.’
“We need to have a clear and concise message so that when people see this law, they stop practicing unsafe work practices.”
According to a recent poll by Pyxis Polling & Insights, New South Wales voters largely support industrial homicide being legislated as a crime, with 68 per cent of 2040 respondents responding positively.
Support was higher in regional areas (70 per cent) compared to metropolitan Sydney respondents (66 per cent), and above 60 per cent across the political spectrum.
While New South Wales is the only state that does not make industrial homicide a specific offence, with the exception of Tasmania, 76 per cent of respondents said they were surprised the state lacked legislation.
NSW Unions Secretary Mark Morey urged MPs from all political sides to “listen to community concerns”.
The horrific accident occurred just days after Christopher’s 18th birthday (pictured, Christopher is celebrating his birthday with his family).
“When a worker doesn’t come home, it’s a life-changing trauma for their loved ones,” he said.
‘The people of New South Wales want corporations and CEOs to be held accountable for workplace deaths.
‘It is simply unacceptable that workers continue to lose their lives due to negligent and unsafe practices. Laws against industrial homicide will provide justice for victims and their families.’
The organization’s analysis also reported that between 2013 and 2022, New South Wales has lost on average at least one worker to a workplace death each week, more than any other state in the Australian territory.
Christopher’s mother Patrizia (pictured) has called on New South Wales to catch up with other mainland states to legislate industrial manslaughter laws as its own offence.
Following Mr Cassaniti’s death, Synergy Scaffolding Services pleaded guilty to an offense under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and was fined $2 million in November 2022.
GN Residential Construction also pleaded guilty to a statutory offence, and had its contractor license permanently disqualified by NSW Fair Trading in June 2023. It was also found guilty and fined $900,000 for the offence.
The company’s director, Nicholas Kodomichalo, was also disqualified for 10 years from exercising any authority under the House Building Act 1989.
