Tragedy as worker dies from head injuries while pouring concrete amid a ‘spike’ in falls from building sites

A construction worker has died after falling more than two meters on a construction site, prompting a warning of a rise in similar incidents.

The 56-year-old man was pouring concrete when he fell and suffered life-threatening head injuries at a residential site in Doncaster East in Melbourne, WorkSafe said.

The fall occurred on March 26 and he died in hospital two days later.

The workplace health and safety regulator said her death was the 11th confirmed workplace death this year and there had recently been a “tragic rise” in serious falls on construction sites.

There were four similar incidents in nine days and another six during the previous three weeks.

They included a 31-year-old worker seriously injured after falling three meters from a roof in Brunswick East and a 53-year-old man who suffered back and pelvic injuries after falling from a house in Portarlington.

In early March, a 28-year-old man suffered serious spinal and head injuries after falling almost four meters from a ladder at Carrum Downs and a 32-year-old man suffered head injuries after falling onto a concrete slab. in Glen Waverley.

The regulator’s executive director of health and safety, Narelle Beer, says the rise in incidents is frustrating because falls are preventable.

The 56-year-old was pouring concrete when he fell and suffered life-threatening head injuries in a residential area of ​​Doncaster East in Melbourne (pictured, a Sydney construction site); he died in the hospital two days later.

“A fall can occur in a matter of seconds, but the consequences can last a lifetime, including devastating injuries and loss of life,” Dr. Beer said.

“It may be easy to think that a tragic incident will never occur at your site, but if safety is not the top priority every day, the chances are high that it will.”

Four of Victoria’s 18 workplace deaths in 2023 were construction workers who fell from a height.